Mental Wellness And Personal Care: A Guide For Senior Citizens

Mental health is all about the way you think, comprehend, and respond to external stimuli. If you wish to lead a sound and healthy lifestyle, then you must work on your mental health. As you age, it becomes even more difficult to take care of your mind and slow down your racing thoughts. Research suggests that more than 20% of elderly individuals experience at least one mental health issue during their lifetime.

Moreover, less than half of those suffering from mental health issues seek expert care and consultation. Here’s a guide to mental wellness and personal care in the elderly, including the ways to manage psychological health.

Mental Wellness In Senior Citizens

Before understanding the ways to manage mental health in senior citizens, it’s important to shed some light on what mental wellness is. It revolves around a broad aspect of your lifestyle, ranging from positive thoughts to stress management and mindful living. Moreover, mental well-being includes several aspects, like a stable mind and enhanced cognition. Along with this, your level of social activity and connections also influence your psychological well-being in general. With a sound mind, you can combat loneliness and lead a healthy lifestyle.

Common Mental Health Issues In The Elderly

Elderly people often experience common mental health issues, which can degrade their quality of life. Studies reveal that the most common disorders that elderly people experience are depression, anxiety, and cognitive decline. Aging may predispose you to frequent tissue damage and can delay the process of healing. Hence, you tend to experience frequent health issues, including psychological impairment and cognitive issues.

1. Depression

Old age comes with persistent loneliness and a sense of isolation. Long-term sadness may transform into depressive episodes in no time. Further, it may take a toll on your emotional well-being and manifest into major depressive disorders when left untreated.

2. Anxiety

Do you often end up worrying about every minor issue? If yes, then you may be suffering from anxiety-related illness. Such mental health issues are quite common in old age and can manifest as constant restlessness, inability to focus, and irritability.  Some urological issues like involuntary urination or inability to retain urine urge for a longer duration may cause additional restlessness. In such cases, using suitable personal care like adult pampers can help improve living conditions.                    

3. Cognitive Impairment

As your age progresses, you are prone to a decline in cognition and thinking abilities. Moreover, it affects your ability to retain information and can cause mild dementia-like features. Experts suggest that aging causes degenerative changes in your body, which manifests as memory loss.

Tips For Improving Mental Wellness & Personal Care

While the elderly population is quite prone to mental health issues, you can incorporate certain measures to improve your overall health.

1. Increase Physical Activity Levels

Did you know that regular physical activity can elevate your mental health? While aging can limit the intensity of physical activity you’re able to perform, you may consider regular and light exercises. Studies reveal that walking for at least 30 minutes daily for five days a week can reduce the risk of developing age-related disorders up to a great extent.

2. Maintain Appropriate Hygiene

Another factor that you may overlook as elderly is hygiene and personal care. Regular showers, brushing, and skincare are essential components of your daily life. Moreover, if you experience urinary incontinence issues, then using appropriate absorbent pads or diapers might help. It can improve your quality of life, boost self-confidence, and overall health. Along with this, try working on your nail health with regular trimming and cleaning.

3. Improve Social Connections

Most elderly people tend to isolate due to abandonment issues or a sense of loneliness. However, interacting with people your age and developing social connections may impact your mental and social well-being. As a senior citizen, you must volunteer to participate in community activities or social gatherings. It helps develop a sense of belonging and connects you to others. Along with this, it may lower stress levels and counter anxiety issues in the long run.

4. Work On Spiritual Wellness

Did you know that mental well-being and spiritual salubrity go hand-in-hand and are interconnected? A high level of spiritual health can amplify your emotional well-being and calm you. This is because meditation and mindfulness practices may slow the neuronal firing rate. Moreover, it instills a sense of tranquility and can prevent post-traumatic stress disorder. With a meditation regime and prayer rituals, you can uplift your spiritual health and calm your senses.

Apart from this, you may try therapy sessions where you speak your heart out. Not only will it make you feel lighter, but it also uplifts your mood and satisfaction levels.

Final Verdict

Aging is a complex phenomenon that involves slow healing, weakened immunity, and a decline in cognition. As you grow old, you may experience frequent health issues, especially related to your mind. However, some tips and tricks can help you achieve the right state of health and boost your self-confidence levels. You can start with increasing the physical activity levels to enhance the release of endorphins and feel-good hormones.

Also, do your bit to uplift your spiritual health with frequent meditation and prayers. Personal care is another crucial factor to look forward to for the senior citizens. For this, you can include essential items like absorbent pads to take care of urinary troubles. Such measures may help improve your quality of life and satisfaction as elderly.