Companionship holds immense importance in our lives, serving as a source of emotional support and connection. Having companionship alleviate the feeling of loneliness and isolation, contributing to improved mental and emotional wellbeing.
In various stages of life, from childhood to old age, companionship plays a pivotal role in providing a sense of purpose & meaning to our lives. Can you imagine your life without a partner? Without friends? I agree, it is hard to imagine the life without your near and dear ones. As the age grows, one faces the loss of friends, family and spouses. Dealing with the loss and leading a normal life becomes challenging. That’s when the sense of loneliness disturbs the person and leads to depression. Companionship can offer comfort during these difficult times. Having someone to talk to and share feelings with can assist in the grieving process.
It is hard to initiate friendships at older age and start a new bond. Those are the times when the elderly stops going out as they do not see any familiar faces anymore. They detach themselves from the society and restrict themselves in the house. This is NOT healthy.
On the other side, the people in Assisted Living home play an important role in elderly’s life by connecting them to like-minded individuals by deeply understanding one’s life. The constant encouragement to socialize, facilitate activities and initiating conversations with others. Friendships in assisted living homes are of immense significance, as they contribute to the well-being and quality of life for residents in numerous ways.
In HCAH assisted living, we have a culture of welcoming every new member to the BIG family with a beautiful hand-made card by the residents and staff with lovely messages in it. We decorate the entrance and a group of residents welcomes the new member and their family. This creates a sense of belonging.
From having morning-evening tea/ coffee to enjoying meals to going out together becomes an everyday thing. It provides a reason to look forward to each day and motivates residents to stay active, engaged and involved in the community.
Recently, we witnessed such a beautiful birthday celebration of one of the youngest resident, where other residents took the responsibility of the decoration and decided the menu for snacks themselves. Older residents pampered the younger one by gifts, watched a movie together and enjoyed a candle-light dinner!
It is so lovely to watch and listen to each resident’s story and experience in the “Life-learning” sessions we have at the facility. Friends in assisted living homes can reminisce about the past, share life-stories and connect over common interest. I remember, 3 months ago, one of our residents showed keen interest to learn knitting and requested us to find a trainer for her. Another resident immediately raised her hand and offered to teach her knitting. This common interest helped them to create a lovely- relationship.
Also Read: Assisted Living: Inspiring Elderlies to live a Happy Life
Every individual should have the opportunity and resources to lead active, fulfilling and healthy lives. It becomes our responsibilities to create and provide such opportunities for our seniors.