If your senior loved one is a bit reticent to talk about themselves, try asking them questions about other people in your family, or get their experiences and accounts of major milestones and world events.
“…share their memories, pass on the wisdom that comes with age, better understand their lives and identities, resolve past conflicts, and connect respectfully with others on a social and often emotional level.”Īs AgingCare notes, talking constructively about the past “can help reduce symptoms of depression and improve self-esteem and life satisfaction” in the elderly. Butler, telling stories and sharing memories can give older adults the invaluable opportunity to
What’s more, the act of reminiscing can have significant benefits for seniors in and of itself, as AgingCare explains. Study upon study has demonstrated that older adults who maintain social relationships have a more positive outlook on life, experience better overall physical and mental health, and enjoy greater longevity. It’s hard to overstate the profound impact that being social can have for seniors. In fact, making time to connect and share in a conversation can be one of the most enriching, rewarding, and healthy things you can do - especially for older adults. Our companions often say that getting the chance to speak one-on-one with their senior clients is a highlight of the day, and family caregivers across the country can attest to the power of sharing stories and talking through memories with their elderly loved ones. Conversation doesn’t just reshuffle the cards: it creates new cards.” - Theodore ZeldinĪ great conversation can be invigorating, exciting, comforting, and informative, all at once especially when you’re talking with someone with decades of experience, knowledge, and memories to draw on. When minds meet, they don’t just exchange facts: they transform them, reshape them, draw different implications from them, engage in new trains of thought.
“Conversation is a meeting of minds with different memories and habits.