Supporting Our Seniors

By: Jenna Rizzo

https://creativemarket.com/ssstocker/498715-Caring-for-seniors

Within our busy world, I feel as though many individuals lack awareness about our senior population and what they face in their daily lives. Personally, it has opened my eyes to read and listen to others about challenges elders experience that are not often discussed. Therefore, I decided to discuss what many of these individuals confront in their older age.

The thought of leaving your beloved home to be relocated into senior living can be a hard pill to swallow. The change in environment can be overwhelming and a hard adjustment. Having to be surrounded by many new people in an unfamiliar space can take a toll mentally. Ultimately, it is complicated to accept the fact that you are physically unable to do all you could before. In your mind, you may be accustomed to taking care of yourself and doing things the way you desire; yet that may not translate to what you are actually able to do. A change in lifestyle is complicated to grasp and takes time to adapt.

Living in a society with an increasing cost of living whilst receiving a fixed income is further burdening many seniors. This issue causes heavy stressors on many of these individuals due to the lack of support. Seniors have worked their whole lives to retire and enjoy the rest of their lives, yet are faced with financial struggles. A lack of financial security can damagingly affect the mental and physical health of our seniors, which is difficult to hear.

A major issue that faces seniors is loneliness. These individuals begin to lose loved ones, develop health issues, and are left to live alone. Many of these people begin to miss their previous daily interactions and experiences that brought joy to their lives. Such a large proportion of seniors feel so isolated due to a lack of support and contact with others. A changing social environment can have devastating impacts on older populations, which is why younger generations must be there to support them.

It is so crucial to support seniors within our community. These individuals are often overlooked and taking the time to make a difference within someone’s life is so powerful. All seniors should feel loved, accepted, and supported in order to help combat senior isolation.