"Caring For Our Elderly "

Good morning my healthy family, I hope we are sound and hearty, it's a new week of the three P's, I called it positivity, pessimistic and productivity. I remain your girl @tripple-e.
I'm glad to send in my entry on this amazing topic "caring for our elderly" and I'll also be glad to read from other participants.

I appreciate @sahmie for organizing this contest, let's read and engage with one another.

Old age is a blessing and I believe we are all praying for long life, not just living long but in sound health to avoid being a burden to others.

Old age(elderly) comes with lots of experiences and wisdom. There's an adage in my place that says; " what an elderly man sees sitting down, a child can not see even if he/she climbs to the top of an iroko tree". This assertion depict the wisdom of an elderly.

Let's read my views through the contest questions.

✍️How can we promote better health for the elderly in our communities?

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• We promote better health for the elderly in our community by encouraging physical activities like organizing walking group, exercise classes and providing a space for their relaxation and walks. These can go a long way to improve health,as we all know that exercising play a vital role in the overall well being of an individual.

• We can promote their healthy eating habits through organizing workshops and seminars on health talk and choices of healthy food suitable for the elderly, and also help them out on their dietary plan.

• We can advocate and create awareness for preventing health screening and administering vaccines for common age related sickness.

• You know as they grow older, some might start behaving as children, so we can create awareness for the support of their mental health by advocating for the accessibility of mental health facilities.

✍️What are some ways we can promote good mental health and well-being in older adults?

To own a pet, you can see their joy from the picture

First and foremost, it is important to note that every individuals are unique in their own ways, that what works for one person might not work for the other, therefore it is important to find activities and strategies that each older adults enjoy doing find interesting

• One of the ways we can promote good mental health in older adults is by addressing their loneliness; we can achieve this by paying attention to signs of loneliness and encourage social interactions and connection.

• We can also encourage them to own a pet, as pets are known for companionship. This can help limit loneliness in them.

• Another way to promote older adults mentally is to encourage them to engage in activities that stimulate the brain such as reading, games, puzzle and even learning a new skill that has to do with brain work.

• They can also be advised to have regular sleep by developing sleeping pattern that can make them to have quality sleep, as this would boost their brains.

✍️Share some strategies we could use for managing chronic pain in the elderly

As we are growing and aging, our body parts tends to become weak and wornout. We start to experience pains, sometimes mild, severe and sometimes it becomes chronic, so I'm going to share some of the strategies can be used in managing chronic pains in the elderly.

• Regular exercise even common activities like walking, swimming can help improve pain tolerance and causes the body to relax by sleeping.

• Associating with family and friends can help an individual to be able to cope with emotions related to chronic pain.

• By maintaining a healthy weight, getting enough sleep and also manage stress can help the elderly to manage chronic pain.

It important to note that all these are tailored in managing chronic pain in older adults, it is not just one solution. But in all proper consultation should be made with an health care professional to develop a safe health management plan for the older adults just to be on the safer side.

✍️What can we do to improve access to healthcare for older adults?

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There are many factors that can barrier an older adults from accessing healthcare, These are:-

1: Financial constraints:- we can have an health insurance coverage for the elderly especially those low budget individuals. This can come from the government or NGO.

2: Sometimes means of transportation poses as a very big barrier, so we can provide them shuttle rides at least on the day of their medical appointments.

3: Enhancing the healthcare system by developing the workforce and training specialist that can cater for the needs of the older adults.

✍️What can be done to address social isolation among older individuals?

Most People sometimes do not find it interesting in associating with the older individuals, they are seen as not belonging to their generation, not having the same mindset as them, as such the older individuals are always left at home so that they won't become a burden.

• These social isolation can be addressed through helping the older individuals feel
connected even when their social outing is limited.

• We can equip them with technology friendly gadgets, and user friendly platforms,teach them how to make use of it, just for them to connect to people in diaspora.

• We can make it a policy to provide them with easy transportation to take them, this can foster interactions.

By carrying out all these strategies I believe we all can work to actualizing a healthcare system that is more inclusive to the elderly, more accessible and also responsive in catering for the needs of our elderly individuals.