Has your senior been a little grumpier than usual lately? Maybe she’s the grouch you can do a favor for throughout the year. Or maybe you’ve been grouchy? It’s also possible that some of these can help you to feel less like a grouch.
Pick a Small Task You Can Handle Quickly for Her
What’s something your senior has been putting off that you can handle easily for her? It might be as simple as emptying the dishwasher or as big as getting some groceries. Look for something that you’re able to do that you can take care of. If you are pressed for time and energy yourself, maybe what you can do is to find help for your senior that’s more regular. Home care providers can take care of a variety of tasks for your senior.
Give Your Senior a Call
If you don’t live near your senior, you might not see her as much as you would like to. Set up a weekly phone date, when you both have time to talk for a while. Worried you won’t have anything to talk about? Start reading a book independently that you can talk about during your phone calls. Or make a list of questions you want to ask her about her life.
Set up a Weekly Lunch Date with Her
Live nearby? Maybe it’s a good idea to set up a weekly lunch date with your elderly family member. You can cook for her or bring some of her favorite dishes over. Eating alone on a regular basis can be a tremendous cause of loneliness. Spending even one or two meals a week with you or other people your senior cares about can be a huge boost to her mood and can help her to combat loneliness.
Let Your Senior Air Her Grievances
Your senior probably has some valid grievances that plague her regularly. That would make anybody grumpy. And if your elderly family member has been holding those in because she doesn’t want to bother anyone else with them, that’s not healthy either. Bottling up emotions is not a good way to work through them. With that in mind, encourage your aging family member to air her grievances now and again. It can help a lot.
Stay on the lookout for other ways that you can lighten your senior’s day. No one wants to be a grouch if they can help it. Keep in mind that your elderly family member may be dealing with a lot that’s challenging for her.