Simple Guide in Understanding and Taking Care of an Elderly
An older person usually thinks that he or she is no longer of use either to the family and to the community.
An older person usually feel being left alone and lonely.
An older person usually think that all he or she has to do is just to wait until the last breath.
We will never be in this wonderful world without their existence.
We will never experience how it is to have life and the chance to live if at first they do not try to live.
Whether we like it or not, we are a family.
A family needs one another and primarily, it the family that has to be with each other, loving, taking, caring and protecting each other as well.
It is a right and at the same time a lifetime responsibility if we value each one.
A grandparent or any elderly person living with you should become a source to everybody.
Understanding their weaknesses, physical, emotional and health problems might not be just as easy as we think but with an open heart and an open mind to do so, it is not hard to do.
they have changing moods and sometimes we think they are acting differently.
we just have to understand them with their conditions and situations.
Being at the stage of being old comes some deterioration in and out.
With old age come impaired vision and hearing, weakened senses of taste and smell affect the appetite for food.
Loss of natural teeth and sometimes falling dentures make chewing a problem and consumes so much time during eating hours.
A weakened digestive system often leads to internal disorders.
The elderly usually suffers from constipation and gas pains.
Sometimes, these are the reasons that they are very selective with the food they eat.
We are required to sleep at least eight hours a day but for an elderly, sleeping is already a difficulty.
Because of a weakened muscles, moving around is also very difficult and adding to the difficulty are the pains and aches usually at the knees, at the back and at the hips.
These makes an old man/woman feels helpless and useless.
The worse feeling of older persons is the feeling of extreme loneliness.
Most often, their children have their own home and house living near or far from them.
They experienced left behind as they moved.
It is only during free times that they are visited.
At the remaining days of their lives, they need us, our understanding, our love, our care, our patience and our attention to make these days happy for them and meaningful as well.
We should be served with easily digestible foods.
We should be silent when they are asleep.
They should be assisted when moving around.
Most of all, if they stay with the family, they should have a feeling of being welcomed.
We should give them the much needed companionship.
We should listen to them as they tell about their younger days; their adventures and the flight of their life.
We should ask them questions to show that we are interested with their stories.
At the same time, we should tell them stories of our own, ask their opinions.
We can even include them in our games whether indoor or outdoor and sometimes include them as we talk, eat and play with our friends.
We can even request them to share their skills and hobbies like gardening and needlework.
We can also give them some responsibilities in the house like arranging clothes or arrange the table.
This way, we make them feel that they are still useful members of the family.
However, there should be less expectations from them and their services should be convenient.
Through these little things we do for them, they have earned a lifetime right to the family's affection and respect and their remaining lives would be full of happiness and when they will be out from this world, they could tell that life has been good to them and, we, we can tell to our selves that we did our part.
An older person usually feel being left alone and lonely.
An older person usually think that all he or she has to do is just to wait until the last breath.
We will never be in this wonderful world without their existence.
We will never experience how it is to have life and the chance to live if at first they do not try to live.
Whether we like it or not, we are a family.
A family needs one another and primarily, it the family that has to be with each other, loving, taking, caring and protecting each other as well.
It is a right and at the same time a lifetime responsibility if we value each one.
A grandparent or any elderly person living with you should become a source to everybody.
Understanding their weaknesses, physical, emotional and health problems might not be just as easy as we think but with an open heart and an open mind to do so, it is not hard to do.
they have changing moods and sometimes we think they are acting differently.
we just have to understand them with their conditions and situations.
Being at the stage of being old comes some deterioration in and out.
With old age come impaired vision and hearing, weakened senses of taste and smell affect the appetite for food.
Loss of natural teeth and sometimes falling dentures make chewing a problem and consumes so much time during eating hours.
A weakened digestive system often leads to internal disorders.
The elderly usually suffers from constipation and gas pains.
Sometimes, these are the reasons that they are very selective with the food they eat.
We are required to sleep at least eight hours a day but for an elderly, sleeping is already a difficulty.
Because of a weakened muscles, moving around is also very difficult and adding to the difficulty are the pains and aches usually at the knees, at the back and at the hips.
These makes an old man/woman feels helpless and useless.
The worse feeling of older persons is the feeling of extreme loneliness.
Most often, their children have their own home and house living near or far from them.
They experienced left behind as they moved.
It is only during free times that they are visited.
At the remaining days of their lives, they need us, our understanding, our love, our care, our patience and our attention to make these days happy for them and meaningful as well.
We should be served with easily digestible foods.
We should be silent when they are asleep.
They should be assisted when moving around.
Most of all, if they stay with the family, they should have a feeling of being welcomed.
We should give them the much needed companionship.
We should listen to them as they tell about their younger days; their adventures and the flight of their life.
We should ask them questions to show that we are interested with their stories.
At the same time, we should tell them stories of our own, ask their opinions.
We can even include them in our games whether indoor or outdoor and sometimes include them as we talk, eat and play with our friends.
We can even request them to share their skills and hobbies like gardening and needlework.
We can also give them some responsibilities in the house like arranging clothes or arrange the table.
This way, we make them feel that they are still useful members of the family.
However, there should be less expectations from them and their services should be convenient.
Through these little things we do for them, they have earned a lifetime right to the family's affection and respect and their remaining lives would be full of happiness and when they will be out from this world, they could tell that life has been good to them and, we, we can tell to our selves that we did our part.
