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Staying Connected with your Senior in a Nursing Home

March 15, 2020 0 Comment Category: Care Center

Regular visits are the simplest way to stay connected with your senior when they are in a skilled nursing home. It brightens up their day and works wonders to improve the physical and mental health of your elderly parent or grandparent. However, many people find it awkward to visit their seniors in a nursing home because they feel like they don’t know what to say. If you can relate to that, then the ideas below will help make the visit fun and easy so that you can have a good time with your loved one in senior care.

Use Technology

Your senior can get lonely when in a care community, which is why you should make all the efforts you can to make them feel contented. One way to do so is to take your children or other family members along when you visit the skilled nursing home. If your relatives live far away, arrange a video call with them so that they can be there virtually for your senior. You can also download simple games to play with your elder on mobile devices when you are there or watch videos together that may interest them.

Enjoy Music Together

Music plays a great role in improving the overall mood of a person. For seniors, it could help to reduce frustration and boost happiness and engagement. So make a playlist with all of your family member’s favorite songs and enjoy those with them when you visit the senior care facility. If you are not sure of what kind of music your parent or grandparent likes, you can ask your family members for some ideas. Just make sure that the music is soothing and will comfort your loved one.

Revisit Old Memories

Another good idea may be to take a photo album along when you visit your senior in the nursing home. Flipping through the pages of the photo album will take your elder back to the good old days and cheer them up. This is a great activity to spend some casual time together with your senior. Your elder may even be motivated to tell you stories and memories you haven’t heard while viewing old photos. You can even plan an activity like creating a family tree with the photos.

Have a Meal Together

If the health conditions of your senior allow it, then take them out to a local restaurant to have a meal together. Some senior care communities even allow family members to join their loved ones in the dining room to share a meal. This is another great way to stay connected with your elder. If your senior is on a special diet, then you can plan to take some appropriate snacks to eat with your elder when you visit the nursing home.