How To Help When Your Senior Parent Is Feeling Down

If you have a senior parent who is feeling down, it’s important that you do as much as you can to support them. Seniors who have depression often will isolate themselves from friends and family which can make their symptoms worse. Doing what you can to help support a senior parent with depression can help them manage their symptoms so that they don’t become mired in a poor mental state.

If you don’t live close to your senior parent or if you don’t get to visit often because you have work or other family responsibilities consider companion care at home for your senior parent. Companion care at home means that seniors will have regular visits from a care provider that they know and trust. They will have someone around to go shopping with, go on outings with, watch TV with, and share meals with. That social connection and steady interaction can really help seniors who are struggling with depression. You can also do these things to support a senior parent with depression:

Listen To Them

Sometimes seniors just need someone to listen to them, especially if they grieving a loss. Simply spending some time with a senior parent and listening them talk about their partner or the past or whatever they want to talk about can help them manage their depression. Everyone wants to feel heard and valued. You can do that for senior parent.

Check In Daily

A great way to provide tangible support to a senior parent that is feeling down is to do a daily check in. These check ins can be done on the phone or by text or by video chat but they should be done at the same time every day. It only takes five minute to check in and see how they’re doing but that daily contact is a lifeline for seniors who are struggling. You would be surprised at how much those check ins can mean to a senior who is aging at home. If you live far away those daily check ins are a fantastic way to stay connected to your senior loved one.

Remind Them Of Happy Times

Seniors who are depressed may get bogged down in negative thoughts so you can help them by reminding them of happy times. Sit down with a photo album and show them photos of past vacations, holidays, and happy family times. Or watch old home movies with them that will remind them of happy times from the past. Get them to tell you stories about when you were little. Do whatever you can to get them to focus on happy things and not negative ones.

Encourage Them To Get More Sleep And Eat Healthy Meals

Seniors who are depressed often let self-care slide. When you check in each day ask them if they have eaten and encourage them to go to bed early and get plenty of sleep. It’s important for seniors to keep eating healthy meals and getting as much rest as possible when they are fighting depression.