Combating Senior Isolation with Denise Helms and Paige Wolk

In recognition of this month’s triple whammy of National Depression Screening Day (10/5), World Mental Health Day (10/10) and Mental Illness Awareness Week (10/1–10/7), we want to share with you an important podcast appearance that our CEO Denise Helms, RN, BSN and Senior Vice President Paige Wolk, LBSW, CDP made on the Parent Projects Podcast with Tony Siebers.

The episode subject is “Combating Senior Isolation.” We know that’s a topic that resonates with so many of our clients and their families, which makes it a topic near and dear to our hearts.

The COVID pandemic put a microscope on an issue that seniors have been facing for a long time. Once everyone had endured months of isolation, the serious mental and physical costs of restricted mobility and limited social interaction could no longer be ignored. Everyone now knows how destructive loneliness can be. We’ve seen the numbers that prove it, with scientists charting the correlations between isolation and depression, and between depression and early mortality, increased incidence of dementia, Alzheimer's, and other health conditions such as obesity and high blood pressure.

Unfortunately, restricted mobility and limited social interaction are often part of growing old. Seniors retire and lose the camaraderie of offices and job sites. Friends move away, move into distant retirement homes, or pass on. Even in close-knit families, grandparents are increasingly left out of their traditional roles as the younger generation spend most of their time at school, at scheduled activities, or online. When you add in physical issues such as hearing loss, mobility loss, incontinence, and concerns about senior driving safety, social interaction opportunities drop even further.

If you are concerned about social isolation, depression, and your senior loved ones, please listen to Paige and Denise on the Parent Projects Podcast now. Along with host Tony Siebers, Paige and Denise engage in an in-depth conversation that includes warning signs of depression, ways to broach difficult conversations, information on how to create and enable socialization opportunities, and — most important of all — ways to encourage the kind of purpose-driven socialization that keeps older adults consistently engaged and enthusiastic.

And please remember that the compassionate caregivers from Overture Home Care are always standing by to help provide companionship, facilitate online communications, assist with driving or running errands, and provide essential support for your family caregiving network. Please call us 24/7 at (817) 887-9401 or (214) 887-9401. We look forward to assisting you with a free consultation!

LINKS:

“Combating Senior Isolation” episode of the Parent Projects Podcast with Tony Siebers

U.S. Administration on Aging Eldercare Resources Locator

Ready to Volunteer… Now What: A Guide for Older Adults on Giving Back