How to Provide Memory Support for Your Ageing Parent

When it comes to our parents, we do all we can to keep them healthy and happy for the longest time. For many, this becomes difficult because we want to help them while not taking away from their independence. However, the sad fact is that one in ten Australians over the age of 65 have dementia. If you open this up to more memory loss conditions, the number increases even more.

Below, you’ll find some ways to provide memory support for your aging parents, including the possibility of buying into an in home care support agency! These agencies specialize in the care and treatment of our aging loved ones, and provide a safe place for them to reside and interact with others in similar situations.

Physical Activity

Often, we think of the brain and the body as two separate entities. In reality, they work together, and we can help brain activity by encouraging physical activity. With a simple walk, blood flows around the body (and to the brain), it encourages elderly parents to get some fresh air, and it can release endorphins while reducing stress. In case you didn’t know, endorphins are ‘feel-good’ chemicals, and they can have a similar impact to opioids.

Social Activity

Unfortunately, as some people grow older, they lose contact with friends, leave clubs, and socialize with others less and less. As a son or daughter, we urge you to encourage your parents to socialize. Did you know that interaction with others can decrease depression and stress?

What’s more, conversations keep the mind active, and this can have a positive effect on memory. If possible, help them search for local clubs to limit isolation and keep them mentally engaged for longer.

Clear and Clean Home

When a home is cluttered, it leads to a cluttered mind, and this is particularly problematic for aging parents. Rather than leaning into the natural decline that age causes, we should stave off memory loss by organizing the home. When you next visit, see if you can help them to tidy and organize things.

As well as organizing the physical space, you can also help them to keep an organized mind by investing in a calendar or diary. This way, they write things down and keep tabs on upcoming events. Without a journal, your aging parent may forget events, which causes them to pull back from social occasions, and the whole problem snowballs.

As they become forgetful, don’t allow them to give in. Instead, set them up with a bowl for glasses, keys, TV remotes, and other essential items around the home.

Brain Activity

It’s an old cliche that older people sit at home doing crosswords, but there’s nothing wrong with this idea at all. The reason that many crossword and puzzle books are marketed to the elderly is that they’re highly beneficial. As well as puzzle books, you can encourage brain activity with:

• Musical instruments
• Learning a new language
• Reading

If the brain is engaged, this reduces memory loss, and the mind stays nimble in the years ahead.

Diet and Sleep

Did you know that both sleep and diet impact our brains? Even if you’re still young and are reading this to help a grandparent, your performance during the day is highly dependent on what you eat and how you sleep. Wherever possible, help elderly relatives to eat a healthy diet and get enough rest in the evenings.

Home Help

Finally, it’s a brave step, but you can also provide memory support by calling an in-home care support service. With D.A.N.S and other care services, you relieve the pressure from your shoulders and have experts who will help to provide memory support. Why not get in touch with a service today?