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4 reasons why social interaction is crucial for elderly individuals

Human beings are naturally social, which is part of the reason most people try to connect with others. The problem is this gets harder to do as you age.

4 top reasons social interaction is crucial for the elderly

4 top reasons social interaction is crucial for the elderly

The following are four reasons you should not let an elderly person miss out on social interaction.

Fights Cognitive Decline

Talking to others forces the mind to stay active, which helps fight cognitive decline. A person has to come up with topics and build on those topics to keep a conversation going. This is one reason you want to make sure that your loved one continues to interact with others.

Wards off Depression

Depression is a problem that many seniors deal with, especially when they are lonely. It’s natural feeling lonely when you reach a certain age. Many have lost some friends, or family members, but making new friends helps the loneliness. Social interaction not only helps a senior warm up to new people, but it also gives him or her the opportunity to talk about those he or she lost.

Helps Prevent Inactivity

Loneliness can cause a person to fall into a sedentary lifestyle. This is something that social interaction fights. It is natural to want to do something like walk or exercise, especially with friends who encourage you. This is especially easier if your loved one is in a community that promotes aged care where many activities are offered to seniors to get them excited about fellowship.

Interaction Encourages Independence

As mentioned above, depression, loss of cognitive abilities, and even memory issues can begin to plague your loved one who lacks social interaction. Talking to someone allows your loved one to ward off these issues, which also helps promote independent living. A senior values his or her independence but this can be hard to accomplish if you are sad or experiencing some cognitive issues. Social interaction encourages independence and that is the key to happy golden years.

Keep in mind that these are just four of the benefits social interaction offers seniors. There are many other benefits like the ability to find love again among many other crucial pleasures. Hopefully, you are able to encourage your loved one to continue this path towards interacting with others no matter how uncomfortable it may be at first. This bold step should be worth it in the end.

Author bio: Meghan Belnap is a freelance writer who enjoys spending time with her family. She loves being in the outdoors and exploring new opportunities whenever they arise. Meghan finds happiness in researching new topics that help to expand her horizons. You can often find her buried in a good book or out looking for an adventure. You can connect with her on Facebook right here and Twitter right here.

By | 2018-06-04T20:07:07-04:00 June 13, 2018|Lifestyle|Comments Off on 4 reasons why social interaction is crucial for elderly individuals