We hear a lot about suicide in younger individuals, but only very rarely do we hear about it in the senior community. We have all heard the chilling statistics when it comes to suicide. In 2017, it is reported that more than 47,000 people took their own lives. Although current data isn’t yet available, estimates say that this number is even larger now. The sad truth is that when it comes to the elderly and those receiving care, these numbers are often ignored.
Suicide is always tragic, and even though it can be particularly tragic when it comes to teens and pre-teens that have a full life ahead of them, it is still a tragedy when it occurs in the senior population. Shedding some light on why it happens might help us to take better steps to prevent it from happening.
Suicides do occur in the senior population. It happens in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and other places where care happens. If you think about it, these are supposed to be safe places. After all, part of the reason for going with senior care in the first place is that your loved one is having difficulty meeting their own needs in a safe way. Care is supposed to make this better.
But seniors face grief, depression, and other issues, just like everyone else. Losing a spouse, seeing physical abilities become lessened, disability, or even just the struggle of needing care can all lead to these overcoming emotions. If this is not being addressed and talked about, the problems are only going to worsen moving into the future.
We owe it to the people that we love to help in this regard.
Part of the goal of care is to restore the dignity and quality of life that someone who is struggling will face. But caregivers only have so much training. They are not mental health specialists. However, being more aware of the difficulties that seniors face and the particular needs and emotions of the people that we directly work with can go a long way toward helping people to feel loved, appreciated, and needed. It’s a small thing, but it can make a world of difference.
Ultimately, the goal of senior care is to help improve the quality of life that an elderly person is living. This goes for physical needs, but it also goes for emotional needs, too. A good caregiver is someone who can help out with those physical needs around the house, but will also provide for emotional and social needs by being a friend and providing companionship. A lot of people overlook this aspect of care when they are looking for a caregiver for an older loved one.
A caregiver can’t provide for all emotional needs, just like a caregiver cannot provide for all physical ones. However, if this is something that might be lacking in your family’s life, then it is definitely something that is worth learning more about.
And, as always, if we can help you in any way in this regard, please feel free to give us a call.
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