Eight Needs of an Elderly Person - Senior Home Companions (2024)

FAQs

What is the most requested support service for the elderly? ›

Supporting elderly people means providing economic assistance for, looking after, and spiritually encouraging them and respecting their legitimate aspirations so as to ensure their basic demands for meals, clothing, housing, travel, health, study, culture, information and personal communication.

Addressing the seven physical needs of the elderly, including nutritional needs, medication management, regular exercise, sleep and rest, pain management, personal hygiene, and regular health check-ups, is fundamental in providing comprehensive care.

Local government agencies often offer programs specifically designed to assist elderly individuals without caregivers. These programs may include financial aid, home-delivered meals, transportation services, and access to healthcare resources.

The social and emotional needs of the elderly include feeling loved and accepted by others, and maintaining personal relationships with friends and family can play a vital role in meeting these needs.

These needs include oxygen, food, activity, sleep, and elimination. These are the basic needs humans must meet in order to survive. Maslow believed that these needs must be met first before a person can go on to meet other needs, such as their psychosocial needs.

Many older adults in the United States are affected by unmet needs and social challenges that negatively impact their health and well-being. These include social isolation, inadequate care, inability to perform daily activities, food insecurity, housing insecurity, poverty, and abuse/neglect/exploitation.

Important risk nutrients include protein; omega-3 fatty acids; dietary fiber; vitamins B₆, B₁₂, and E; calcium; magnesium; and potassium. Many older adults are not getting enough of these nutrients.

For older adults, social connection is particularly important to reduce risk factors such as social isolation and loneliness. At this stage of life, meaningful social activities can significantly improve positive mental health, life satisfaction and quality of life; they can also reduce depressive symptoms.

What are the spiritual needs of an elderly person? ›

“Wholistic, life-giving, intentional care of the human spirit in the context of the individual's life journey through transitions encompassing grief and joy, loss and gain, the search for meaning and the maintaining of fruitful relationships with self, others and the transcendent 'other'.”

You may need to support your loved ones as they stand, sit, or are transferred to a wheelchair. Pushing and pulling heavy objects: This might include moving equipment or moving the patient on their bed. Reaching for heavy objects to push or pull is a major cause of back injuries among caregivers.

Aging adults without money to support them through the rest of their lives can stay in a nursing home for up to 100 days—and Medicaid will cover the cost for this brief period. Seniors who reside in an assisted living facility and run out of funds will be evicted.

Some people think the oldest sibling should be responsible for caring for aging parents. Others argue that this responsibility should be shared among siblings. The truth is that there isn't a one-size-fits-all answer to the question of which sibling should take care of elderly parents.

Maybe you experience an unexpected change to your health that prevents you from carrying out your responsibilities. Maybe the amount of care your loved one requires is beyond your skill set. Or maybe caregiving is taking such a toll on your mental health that you'd be sacrificing your own wellness by continuing.

Provide emotional and social support. Negotiate times to check in on them. Make sure they are managing their own health care needs. Help them create and manage a care plan for the person they care for.

The different types of social support that older adults experience include initiating engagement, sustaining engagement, recognizing successful engagement, and providing comfort and reassurance.

In conclusion, geriatric care is in high demand for a variety of reasons, including the aging population, chronic health conditions, specialized care needs, and the prevalence of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. As our population continues to age, the need for geriatric care will only continue to grow.

Federal, state, and local governments offer many resources for older adults and their families and caregivers. A good place to start is the Eldercare Locator, which connects older Americans and their caregivers with trustworthy local support resources. Visit the Eldercare Locator or call 800-677-1116.