Living on your own in your senior years can have debilitating effects on your mental, emotional and even physical health and, more often than not, the reason behind it is loneliness.
This has become particularly clear during the last two years of living in lockdown where forced social isolation heightened the feeling of loneliness.
While we might blame behaviour changes in our parents and grandparents on simply getting older, it often is in fact an outcry for human interaction and affection.
Take note of these common behaviours which can be a sign of your loved one slipping into the dark grips of what has become known as “The Loneliness Epidemic”:
- Neglect in hygiene and personal care such as not washing regularly, not keeping their nails groomed, not brushing hair or going to the hairdresser.
- Lack of motivation and energy leading to them staying at home a lot more and not showing interest in their usual hobbies and social activities. This is often coupled with a negative mindset.
- Strange pains such as a sore knee and problems walking and wanting to visit their GP regularly, even though the doctors cannot find anything physically wrong.
- Not contacting you or the family as often as they used to or contacting you far more often than normal.
- Going shopping everyday in an attempt to get out of the house and be around people, which can lead to unnecessary spending and buying.
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