Senior citizens often have a standard set of needs unless they have different abilities or illnesses that require special care. Many older adults live peaceful, simple lives with the bare minimum and are not high maintenance. It is important to understand the needs of the elderly before we can fully care for them. Each of them would require a different set of care, support and assistance.
A thorough analysis of your elderly’s situation might be required before you understand and identify what they truly need. Children and families need to identify their ageing elderly’s needs for planning in terms of finances and resources. This list covers almost everything an old person might require for health and wealth wise centering on their mental health and well-being.
Needs can be broken down into four main categories for all people, not just the elderly. These are: physical, emotional, mental, and social.
While the elderly require their needs to be met similarly to what we do, needs evolve and mature. The needs of the elderly are much less eccentric compared to the needs of a young person. They may not require as much mental and social stimulation, or possibly they are not capable of as much physical exercise, but their needs are more or less the same.
Physical Needs include everything that encompasses the physical aspects of life. These needs include proper nutrition and food, hygiene and personal care, exercise and movement, and shelter. While the overall requirement of these needs remains constant, the specifications could be customised uniquely for your loved one. For example, they might have dietary restrictions, have joint pain that limits their exercise and movement, or something else. While personal care and shelter are obvious common needs, it is important to understand how they need to be customised to your elderly’s requirements. This could mean something as simple as a sponge bath instead of climbing in and out of a tub to complex different ability needs that need special furniture and/or personal care products.
Eating healthy and eating right should be the mantra no matter what age group we belong to. Speaking of the elderly, well-balanced nutrition is a much-needed asset especially for maintaining their bone health, maintenance of blood sugar levels and the level of good cholesterol.
Emotional Needs encompass all needs that relate to the emotional aspect of life. These include needs such as the feeling of belonging, feeling like they are cared for, feelings of self-confidence, and feeling a sense of autonomy or control over their lives. These are very important needs and are often overlooked because they’re not on the surface and are often disregarded when thinking about elderly needs. The elderly are vulnerable to emotional damage and require special emotional care. They require compassion and patience when being spoken to and need empathy when they’re carrying out tasks “slower” than we do. The elderly need to be encouraged and be made to realise that they still have control over their lives, despite needing assistance. Keeping their sense of belonging intact is very important. This is why social activities in the later stages of life play a vital role in the well-being of senior citizens. The elderly also feel anxious about the uncertain nature of their future. It is important that we make them feel safe and secure in their environments and not leave their mental health to chance.
Mental Needs include a senior citizen’s need for mental stimulation and cognitive use, if not development. Many senior citizens feel like their mental development stagnates or deteriorates as they age. It is important to keep the elderly engaged in various activities that keep their mind active. Many senior citizens lose balance and coordination due to the general weakening of the tissues of their brains over time. Not only is it important for their health to keep them engaged and their brain active, but it is also important for their emotional needs as losing mental balance could lead to a lack of self-confidence and other emotional problems. Many a time, older adults drift away from their passions and hobbies into a sedentary lifestyle. They may also feel that they are past the age of learning new skills. In times like these, families should encourage the elderly to engage in activities that interest them and learn new skills, even simple ones. Accompanying them with the sense of novelty and encouraging and appreciating them enough can increase their drive to initiate which in turn might provide some positive mental health benefits.
The elderly also feel an urge to remain useful and keep contributing to society. Feeling useful is an important contributor to older adults’ sense of independence and purpose.
Finally, Social Needs refer to needs that have to do with one’s connection with society, contact with people, healthy interactions with friends and people outside their family, and strong bonds and relationships with family. The elderly require social connections to support their emotional and mental needs. They are more vulnerable to loneliness and require companionship and understanding, especially as they age. Isolation and seclusion are serious problems that the elderly face on a large scale across the country. Families should make more efforts to make their loved ones feel included and appreciated. Feeling connected with other people and to a community helps the elderly gain a sense of belongingness and maintains the overall homeostasis of a good mood. Also, not everyone feels the need for an extensive social network. They only want to accommodate a few people in their close circle. It must be noted that social needs are rooted in the personalities, needs, desires, expectations and cultures of older adults.
While these are the generalised needs of any senior, some elderly might require special care due to their mental or physical different abilities which converge to Care and Support Needs. Understanding support and care needs can be a challenge. From knowing how and where to start, what type of care and support we impart, are we competent enough to provide the required care and assistance, and making a budget of the expenses, a lot of questions as such start to linger. To address those needs accurately, it is important to assess those needs from the perspective of an elderly himself or herself as well as the wider context in which they live and interact. Companionship, compassion, and understanding form the core pillars of caring for seniors, whether healthy and able or not. At times simply being around your elderly and mindfully listening to what they have to say can do wonders for them.