Into Motivation

Senior Care for Total Health and Well-Being

I have been involved with senior care for many years, first as a pastor in a mainline church, then as one who has helped a friend care for her aging mother, now as a teacher of senior yoga and relaxation.

Depending on the situation, you can ask friends and relatives ahead of time, or you can just ask questions as you go. Older people, even those impaired with Altzheimers or some form of dementia, usually love to be asked about their past accomplishments, travels, family events, etc. To avoid the “interview” approach, you can even do this indirectly and allude to your own experiences to see what catches the senior’s attention.

With regard to forms of dementia or just lapses of memory, it’s best to speak to the older person in the style of language and the time frame he or she is using at the moment

In other words, if someone speaks to you as if it were 1972 in another part of the world, it’s because that memory has surfaced and is very real. There’s very little to be gotten at that precise moment from reminding that person of the actual year and place. Better to have a little conversation from their perspective, and you may be amazed at the shared laughter and liveliness that ensues. Not only will they feel better, but you’ll even feel more energized and perhaps learn some history!

When I teach my senior classes in relaxation, I’m awed by the number of older folks who are ready to learn and grow and willing to let go of habitual patterns in order to be better elders to the young people in their lives. They respond when we look at each of them as a whole person who has many more experiences than we’d ever guess from the outside packaging.