Almost everyone experiences stress from time-to-time, including those aged 65+. Stress in the elderly is typically caused by late-life events like the death of a spouse, financial difficulties or a chronic illness. Unfortunately, chronic stress can cause serious health problems that interfere with a senior’s ability to age in place. On the other hand, finding safe and reliable ways to decompress is one of the keys to enjoying a happier, more fulfilling life. What follows are five stress-reducing activities that most seniors can safely participate in.

Common Stressors in the Elderly

Some common triggers (stressors) for stress in older adults include:

  • Loss of a spouse or other loved one
  • Physical or medical limitations
  • Caring for a disabled or ill spouse or partner (caregiver stress)
  • Chronic illness
  • Feeling isolated due to living alone
  • Limited finances
  • Too much unstructured time
  • Changes in relationships with children

How Stress Affects Older Adults

As is the case with someone younger, when a senior gets stressed their body releases stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. If the body isn’t allowed to recover from that stress response, over time those hormones build up.

Researchers have linked the resulting stress hormone overload to these health problems in the elderly:

Physical

  • Heart disease
  • Weakened immune system
  • High blood pressure
  • Digestive problems
  • Headaches
  • Weight gain
  • Abnormal sleeping patterns

Mental

5 Safe Stress-Management Tips for Seniors

Fortunately, there are several non-harmful approaches that seniors can use to relieve stress and have a more positive outlook. If there’s an elderly loved one in your life who needs some stress-management assistance, encourage them to participate in these five activities:

Yoga and Tai Chi

Practiced for thousands of years, Yoga and Tai Chi provide many physical benefits, like building muscle strength, increasing flexibility, and improving balance and coordination.

But Yoga and Tai Chi also benefit the mind in many ways by improving concentration, boosting self-esteem and reducing stress. Joining a Yoga or Tai Chi class at the local community center is also a great way for seniors to meet new friends and heighten their sense-of-wellbeing.

Cognitive puzzles and games

Solving crossword, Sudoku or other puzzles that require concentration can provide mental stimulation and serve as a distraction that takes a senior’s mind off what’s troubling them. There are also many cognitive games that stimulate the brain and alleviate stress.

In addition to relieving stress, brain-teasing puzzles and games may even slow the progression of dementia or possibly prevent it entirely- although more research is needed in this area.

Meditation

Studies have found that not only can regular meditation provide stress-relief, it may also help the practitioner get triggered less often than before. In general, meditation is an ideal stress-reliever for seniors because it requires no special equipment or physical ability, and can be done virtually anytime, anywhere.

Deep breathing exercises

Deep breathing exercises are also a convenient, fast-acting and cost-free stress-reliever that can easily be adopted by the elderly. Wherever they are, diffusing pent-up stress is possible by simply taking a few deep, controlled breaths.

Cognitive restructuring

Sometimes just looking at something from a different perceptive can make it seem less stressful. As an important component of cognitive behavioral therapy, cognitive restructuring is a clinical term for changing the way one views the world and their role within it.
Finding previously unseen positives in-a-given situation, or looking at it from another angle, are examples of cognitive restructuring- a practice that also seems to help seniors trigger their stress response less often.

We Help Alabama Seniors Stay Active & More Positive

Helping an aging loved one safely decompress can be hard when you’re busy or live far away. When you need a hand, contact Seniors Prefer Homecare. While serving as an extended family in the home, our highly trained caregivers can help seniors stay safe, active and more positive with an added focus on maintaining their quality of life, dignity and independence.

As a fully licensed agency our home care services include companionship care, personal care, respite care, dementia care and even 24-hour care. For your added convenience, all our “cream of the crop” services can be individually combined into an affordable package when and where you need them! To learn more about Seniors Prefer Homecare now, or to schedule a FREE assessment for a senior in Tuscaloosa or Huntsville, AL, today, please visit us at: www.seniorspreferhomecare.com.