A life lived with no regrets is a goal everyone strives for. By the time people reach their senior years, it becomes even more important to focus on living each day to its fullest. For this reason, seniors and their caregivers should be aware of the following four common regrets expressed by people later in life, all of which can easily be prevented.
1. Ignoring Financial Concerns
After saving throughout a career for retirement, the last thing your elderly loved one needs is to worry about money. However, risky investments and other ventures can leave a bank account drained. Your loved one should take an honest look at his or her assets and plan for the unexpected. For example, looking into low-cost ways to maintain your loved one’s current lifestyle in the face of a health crisis may be beneficial in the long run.
Family caregivers who find it difficult to care for their aging loved ones without assistance may experience feelings of regret. For some families, caring for a senior loved one can be overwhelming at times. Luckily, they can rely on professional respite care. Kennebunk, ME, Align Home Care is a trusted name in respite and hourly care. Our caregivers are available around the clock to assist seniors with bathing, transportation, medication reminders, exercise, and much more, allowing families the time they need to focus on other important responsibilities or just take a break.
2. Failing to Focus on Health
In the senior years, bad decisions regarding physical health can come back to haunt a person. However, it’s never too late to give up unhealthy habits. Your loved one should make a point to exercise and eat healthy, and quitting smoking and drinking can reduce the risk of many illnesses while also saving money.
Dwelling on regret can result in mental, emotional, and physical challenges for aging adults, but seniors don’t have to handle them alone. Home care agencies can be a great boon to seniors. With the help of the caregivers at Align Home Care, your aging loved one can lead a happier and healthier life. Our caregivers encourage seniors to eat nutritious foods, exercise and socialize regularly, and focus on other lifestyle factors that increase life expectancy.
3. Letting Go of Dreams
Giving up should never be a part of getting older. After retirement, many seniors regret they didn’t follow the careers of their dreams. However, today they have a chance to use their time to take up new pursuits. Many artists, writers, and inventors hit their stride in the senior years, so encourage your loved one to explore new ways to meet the goals he or she once dreamed were possible.
4. Overlooking the Importance of Friends & Family
It’s easy to forget social relationships are what memories are made of. Too often, seniors express regret that they worked too much and played too little. Fortunately, there’s no time like the present to make a phone call to a family member or arrange to get out of the house and spend some time with a friend. By making time to fully embrace the people he or she cares about, your loved one never has to regret not reaching out to friends and family.
Regret is one of many things that can contribute to decreased mental and emotional health in seniors. Not every senior has the same care needs, which means they don’t all need the same type of in-home care. Kennebunk families can rely on Align Home Care to provide individualized care plans to meet their elderly loved ones’ unique care needs. Our caregivers help seniors focus on healthy lifestyle habits such as eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and maintaining strong social ties, and we offer mentally stimulating activities that can stave off cognitive decline and delay the onset of dementia. To create a comprehensive in-home care plan for your loved one, call us at (207) 606-8419 today.