The Importance of
Friendship & Family
Encouraging The Support System
Seniors need a large support system. Not only family, but also friends.
Importance of Friendship
- One of the greatest losses for a senior is their depleting pool of friends.
- A senior cannot have too many friends.
- They share different parts of their life with different people and volume and variety are key.
- Showing a senior how important and cared for they are by being there consistently for them as a friend is key.
Importance of Family
- Home activities create healthy family communication through emails about each activity session with pictures, forwarding articles on aging and being another set of eyes on the senior.
- All of this can put the family at ease, provide more conversation starters, and give the family/facility ideas of activities to do with the loved one.
- Equally as important is the opportunity for the family/facility staff to take the time during activity sessions for themselves, providing valuable respite.
“The residents at my board and care facility all adore Amy! They are a vibrant group of alert and high functioning seniors that often refuse traditional elderly activities. This is not the case with Amy; her weekly activity plans are tailored to the group and are very engaging. They range from music and art history to holiday inspired topics. Amy’s visits are the highlight of their week!”
— Oana, Astoria Retirement Residences