5 Ways Practicing Mindfulness Is Beneficial for Seniors

Practicing mindfulness is a form of meditation that’s done while remaining actively involved in everyday life. Seniors often find mindfulness easier to practice, since they can still go about their normal daily routines. Focusing on the things that are happening in their environments is also easier for people who find it difficult to sit and meditate in the traditional manner. 

1. Avoid Ruminating on Negative Thoughts

Unnecessary worry is a major cause of stress-related disorders. Seniors who don’t have many people to talk to during the day may begin to ruminate on the negative things that are going on in their lives. 

Older adults often worry about what’s happening in the news, their health concerns, and the wellbeing of their loved ones. Mindfulness can break this habit. Instead, seniors begin to focus on the good things happening around them, which can help them avoid developing negative thinking habits that impact their moods. 

A home caregiver can be a wonderful source of companionship, support, and encouragement for your loved one. Whether you need respite from your caregiving duties or your aging loved one needs live-in care, Livingston, NJ, Assisting Hands Home Care can meet your family’s care needs. Our dedicated caregivers are available around the clock to provide transportation to doctor’s appointments, ensure seniors take their prescribed medications, and help with a variety of tasks in and outside the home.

2. Add an Additional Element to Chronic Pain Management Plans

Living with chronic pain is something most seniors eventually face. Pain medications are helpful, but seniors may prefer to use other natural methods to avoid developing a dependency on certain drugs. 

Mindfulness serves as a distraction that helps seniors turn their attention to something else. When seniors are focused on the sensations they’re feeling in their environments, they’re less likely to notice the pain coming from their bodies. 

3. Maintain Focus & Attention Skills

Attention span tends to wane as people get older, and being able to focus on the tasks at hand helps seniors retain their other cognitive abilities. Mindfulness is considered a form of meditation that takes practice because many people find it challenging to filter out distractions. Training their brains to pay more attention to what’s happening in their worlds helps seniors also be able to focus on other things, such as their conversations with friends. 

4. Experience Fewer Incidences of Forgetfulness

Memory loss in seniors is sometimes caused by simply being so busy they don’t pay attention to what they’re doing. Many “senior moments” can be attributed to multitasking. 

Mindfulness encourages seniors to do one thing at a time while noticing all the fine details their tasks involve. This intense level of focus means seniors are more likely to create memories that help them remember what was happening in the moment. 

If your loved one has been diagnosed with a condition such as dementia or Alzheimer’s, a home caregiver can be a fantastic source of support for your whole family. Not every senior has the same care needs, which means they don’t all need the same type of home care service. You can rely on Assisting Hands Home Care to provide an individualized care plan to meet your elderly loved one’s unique care needs. Our caregivers help seniors focus on healthy lifestyle habits, such as eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and maintaining strong social ties, and we offer mentally stimulating activities that can boost cognitive health and delay the onset of dementia.

5. Alleviate the Symptoms of Mental Health Disorders

Excessive worry is a common symptom of anxiety disorders. Seniors who ruminate on sad things or have more instances of forgetfulness may also experience depression and other mental health conditions. Mindfulness can eliminate many of the symptoms of mood disorders by renewing a senior’s sense of peace and happiness with life. If you have a senior loved one who needs help maintaining a high quality of life while aging in place, reach out to Assisting Hands Home Care, a leading provider of home care Livingston families can trust. Our caregivers help seniors focus on healthy lifestyle habits such as eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and maintaining strong social ties, and we offer mentally stimulating activities that can boost cognitive health and delay the onset of dementia. Schedule a free in-home consultation by giving us a call today.