Lots of aging family members find that at a certain point, they’re suddenly feeling extremely lonely. This can happen very quickly, often without your elderly family member realizing what has happened to get the situation to this point. What really matters is that you, your companion care at home provider, and she work together to find a solution for her.

Signs of Loneliness Can Be Tricky to Spot

Your elderly family member might not tell you that she’s lonely. So, it’s important to pay close attention to the possible symptoms of loneliness. They’re not always easy to spot, though. If you’re noticing that your aging family member seems more withdrawn and that she’s experiencing behavior changes and mood issues, there may be more going on. If your senior has recently experienced a loss, it’s a good bet that she’s experiencing loneliness to some degree.

Making Changes Quickly Can Help Her Resolve Her Loneliness

Responding to those signs of loneliness quickly, even when you’re not sure that loneliness is exactly what your elderly family member is up against, can be a huge help. Your senior may not realize how bad things are getting for her, but if she’s isolating herself that’s something that will only get worse over time. Putting at least a few solutions in place now is going to make a difference.

Look for Ways to Help Her to Connect

One solution you can try is to look for ways to help your senior to connect with the world around her. That might mean helping her to get out into her community more often and to reconnect with friends and family. If there’s a way to coordinate visits from friends and family members, that’s a great way to help you’re senior feel less lonely without also being overwhelmed by visitors.

Find Activities She May Enjoy

Has your aging family member stopped doing some of the things that she loves? It might be that it’s time for her to either try new hobbies or to revisit some of those activities that she used to enjoy. Look for ways to make it possible for your elderly family member to become more engaged with activities.

Look Into Hiring Companion Care at Home

Something else that can help, especially if any of your senior’s friends and family members live far away, is to bring in home care providers to offer companionship. Companion care at home offers your elderly family member a chance to get to know new people and to put her loneliness behind her. Having friendly caregivers visiting her on a regular basis keeps her from being isolated and can help you to be more aware of how your elderly family member really is doing.

Loneliness is a much bigger problem for older adults than many people realize. Letting the situation continue to worsen can have serious implications for your elderly family member’s mental and physical well-being. Take some action as soon as you realize what’s happening and continue to touch base with your elderly family member to make sure that you’re able to keep meeting her needs for socialization.