Why Seniors Should Build Strong Friendships
A strong friendship helps to reduce stress and loneliness in older adults by stimulating their minds. As seniors meet new people, they build strong friendships, improving their physical and mental health.
Meeting new people at an older age can encourage your senior loved one’s happiness. However, finding friends is not always an easy task for older people. That’s why you need to create a suitable environment that allows them to interact with new faces. And in many cases, the best way to help an elderly loved one make friends with peers is by allowing them to move to an assisted living community.
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Living with a Family
Family-like friendships play a significant role in most seniors’ life, especially those living in assisted living facilities for long periods of time. They will enjoy staying in their new homes with a sense of security, dignity, and belonging. Many seniors describe their relationships in their new homes (assisted living facilities) as a family bond. These strong bonds ensure that your loved ones never feel alone in their new surroundings.
Improved Mental Health & Quality of Life
Studies reveal that seniors with strong social connections tend to have better mental and physical health than socially inactive older adults. Also, socially engaged seniors tend to have a better quality of life regardless of their physical condition. Such seniors find meaning in life by participating in regular social activities that promote friendship and mental health at all stages of life.
Meeting New People
Since socializing can be tricky for the elderly, making friends with peers can be a challenge unless they already live together. An assisted living community provides a safe social environment where your loved ones are surrounded by their peers and able to visit their friends whenever they want. Better yet, the community environment encourages interaction with others they may not have met before. And no matter where you are in life, meeting new people and making new friends is an excellent boost to both mental health and quality of life.
Encouraging Seniors to Make New Friends
Creating social circles for seniors can help to strengthen their friendships. While your family should visit regularly to stay connected to your elderly loved ones, they should also be encouraged to meet people their own age. Help them build a social circle they can maintain in their new community.
Contact us to learn more about senior friendships in assisted living facilities.
