“friending” Grandma Can Ease Loneliness For Senior Home Care Patients

By Author: Robin Hewitt
Total Articles: 739
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If you’re the main provider of senior home care, you know the loneliness and depression that loss of mobility can bring to the elderly. What you may not know is the latest statistics on seniors and the internet: the Pew Research Center reports that Facebook usage among those age 65 and older is the fastest growing demographic on the popular social media site. Between April 2009 and May 2010 senior citizen usage of Facebook grew from 13 percent to 26 percent of total users: a full 100 percent growth rate.

While scientists are scrambling to organize studies to measure the benefits of social media on home health care patients, one thing is becoming obvious. Lack of mobility no longer means a life sentence of isolation, waiting for the phone or doorbell to ring. One of the greatest drawbacks to aging is the loss of one’s social network, as spouses, siblings, and friends pass away. Children and grandchildren have less time to visit, and the senior may lack the mobility to socialize outside the home. By conquering the digital divide and overcoming their wariness of new technology those in home health ...
... care are no longer restricted by their physical limitations.

What does this mean for your senior home care patient? Once they master a few basic skills they can spend their time socializing, sharing their knowledge, keeping up with the kids and grandkids, checking out the latest photos, and maybe planting a crop or two in Farmville if they have some spare time.

If you’re elderly parent is leery of computers in general there are a few simple steps you and other family members can take to help them enter the world of social networking. The key is to remove the pressure they may feel about learning something new, and make it a family project to ease them in to having the world at their fingertips.
Enlist family members in computerizing your senior citizen. If your home health care patient is on a tight budget, arrange for kids and grandkids to raise enough money to purchase a computer as well as internet access for your parent.

Spend an hour or two each day showing your parent the ins and outs of being online. Keep it simple and let them learn at their own pace.

Help them set up a Facebook page by guiding them through the steps rather than doing it for them. This will empower them and give a feeling of accomplishment.

Show them how to connect with family and friends, and how to search for people they may have lost touch with.

Pass the word to everyone you know, telling them how your home health care patient is new to social networking and may need encouragement.

As they grow proficient in the world of friending, posting, liking, and sharing, slowly expand their knowledge base. Show them how to use a search engine, email account, photo albums, and other internet features.
By easing your parent into the World Wide Web, you can expand their social network while increasing their feelings of self worth. As a bonus perk, you’ll have a bit more time for yourself while Mom or Dad is surfing the web. And as a last note, if you’re worried about the beer bash photos that their granddaughter posted last week keep in mind that your parent has probably been there and done that many decades ago.

Robin Hewitt is a freelance writer working with Visiting Angels to help and take the pressure off home health care providers. To learn more about respite care program, visit our website today.