As you age, you face a series of changes including becoming a grandparent and stopping work to get retirement, which makes it tough to keep normal social interactions. While it gets harder to maintain social ties, it gets all the more important to stay socially active as you age.
Interacting with friends and keeping your mind stimulated prevents mental disorders such as dementia, loneliness, and depression. Seniors who stay socially engaged have 70% lower rate of cognitive decline.
Few tips for you to stay socially engaged:
Join a club. Contact local senior centers and see if you can join clubs in your area. Senior centers are a great place for social clubs. Attending book clubs, garden clubs, knitting clubs, sports clubs, art clubs are good ways to meet new people who share the same interests and stay socially active.
Social networking. Make an effort to maintain close personal relationships with family, friends, neighbors, church members, and others who are important in your life. Keep in touch with them through email or Facebook if they live far. A study stated that Internet use amongst seniors has increased over time which helps with maintaining a social network.
Play games. Keep your mind active and play games to keep it intellectually stimulated. Do crossword puzzles, play board games, online games, card games, and chess either alone or along with your peers. Exercise your brain to keep it functioning properly.
Play sports. Go for bowling, baseball, and tennis for individuals over 50. Golfing and disc golf is a great activity to do with your peers.
Join a gym. Look for fitness classes offered by a gym near you. You can take part in group yoga classes, meditation classes, and other sports structured to your age group such as Zumba and dance. This will help you meet people and stay physically and socially engaged on a regular basis.
Start working again. See if you can start working again. Taking a part-time job can keep your mind active and will make you feel good about contributing.
Volunteer. Try volunteering in your community. Feel a sense of purpose and accomplishment. Volunteering has proven to a reduced risk of death amongst seniors.
Get a pet. Having a pet in the house will do you so much good. Pets are known to form meaningful relationships with their owners. Having a dog running around in your home prevents you from feeling lonely. It also forces you to get exercise and meet new people when you go out to walk your dog.
Attend classes. There are lots of opportunities for continuing education that are available and many of them are free. You’ll meet like-minded individuals and keep yourself active by learning.
Babysit. If you have grandchildren or young family members, offer to babysit them regularly. This will not only keep you occupied but also physically and mentally active.
Active mind is a happy mind!
If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please reach out to us! Here at BlueStar, it is our goal to keep you and your loved ones Safe, Healthy, and Connected. We do this through senior technologies that are available on our site. If you have any questions, please contact a product specialist today at (800) 300-1724, option 1!
