Mind Matters: Nurturing Brain Health Together

Brain health is a huge part of overall well-being for aging adults. When their brains aren’t as healthy as they could be, several areas of life suffer, including physical health. Companion care at home helps seniors to get social engagement, mental stimulation, and many other types of help that contribute to keeping their brains working. As seniors’ needs change even further, companion caregivers can adjust activities to continue to meet those new needs.

Social Engagement

Often seniors experience reduced social interactions, especially if their friends and family live far away or are overwhelmed with other obligations. Social engagement is way more important than people realize for cognitive health. When seniors have someone to spend time with, engaging in meaningful conversations and sharing stories, their brains get the exercise they need. It’s just like any other type of workout.

Mental Stimulation

Getting enough mental stimulation is incredibly important for aging adults. It’s when seniors aren’t stimulating their brains that they start to feel like they’re losing some cognitive function. Activities that promote mental agility like games, puzzles, and even reading all help to boost brain stimulation. They use skills like memory, problem-solving, and even attention span. Reminiscing about memories with someone else can also offer seniors mental stimulation.

Emotional Support

Aging is tough. Many aspects of aging cause seniors to deal with stress, anxiety, and feelings that might be new for them, especially as daily activities become more difficult. The time may be coming when seniors need to start relying on home care providers for assistance with household tasks, for instance, and that can be tough to adjust to for many aging adults. Chronic stress has an extremely negative impact on overall well-being, including cognitive health. Companion care at home gives seniors someone to talk to who understands the difficulties they’re facing.

Physical Activity

Brain health and physical health are closely tied together. Seniors who have companionship may be more likely to be physically active, including spending time outdoors. Physical activity helps to improve blood flow to the brain and can enhance cognitive function. And spending time out in nature, even just on the back patio, can reduce stress, boost mood, and improve cognitive function. Any time seniors are interested in increasing their physical activity, it’s a good idea to talk to their doctors first to make sure that’s something they can do safely.

Practical Tips for Boosting Brain Health

There are a lot of different techniques seniors might want to put to work in their everyday lives to boost brain health. Maintaining a healthy diet and seeking out new opportunities to learn are two of the biggest tips they can try. Getting plenty of sleep is also important for a healthy brain, and elder care providers can help seniors to figure out the best solutions to improve their own sleep quality as much as possible.

Companion care at home seems on the surface like it’s just someone stopping by and visiting seniors. But those conversations and activities do a lot more for seniors than just helping them have a friendly face visiting periodically. These visits can help them to keep their brains in peak condition for a lot longer while also improving overall quality of life.

If you or an aging loved-one is considering companion care at home in Upper East Side, NY, please contact the caring staff at Touching Hearts at Home – Manhattan, Brooklyn, Westchester, Queens, Rockland today. 646-480-6266