How Can Writing Be Beneficial for Your Elderly Loved One?

Elder Care in Porter’s Neck, NC – Something as Simple as Keeping a Journal can Offer Numerous Mental Benefits

One of the many ways for seniors to remain mentally sharp is to work on a project. A “project” can be anything that your loved one engages, thinks about, and progresses on every day. Projects can be something simple like putting together puzzles or it can be something more demanding like gardening, volunteering, or carving furniture. Today, we want to bring attention to one of the most stimulating and accessible activities a senior citizen can do: writing.

Writing is one of the only activities that has absolutely no limits. From childhood creativity to storytelling in later years, writing helps people of any age express, imagine, and capture potent thoughts. With senior citizens, there are quite a few benefits that come to writing regularly. Whether your loved one keeps a journal or simply writes a few poems, the results will be beneficial for your elder’s intellect, mental stability, and feeling of expression. Here are a few reasons why.

• Writing helps preserve memory: The American Academy of Neurology recently had a study that discovered how writing helps stimulate the brain and preserve memory. As elders are prone to have memory problems during the aging process, writing is a great way to help prevent that.
• The same study found that people who engage in frequent mental activities late in life (such as writing) experience a 32% reduction of memory decline.
• Keeping a journal or diary is a commitment that requires new progress every day. This commitment gives your elder some additional structure to their retiree lifestyle.
• Writing gives your elderly loved one a chance to tell their stories. Our seniors have lived longer lives and we sometimes forget about the many experiences they have to tell. From being war veterans to being alive to watching The Beatles perform on the Ed Sullivan show, elders are our gateway to the past and we can learn about more history from their storytelling. This will instill both a sense of appreciation for the seniors and further education about their lives for both you and their referred caregiver.

Encouraging your elder to write not only allows them to get in touch with their creativity, but it helps them reflect on life and recall fond memories while improving mental health. Even if your senior hasn’t written anything for a very long time, the science shows that it will still result in positive effects on the brain.

The articles posted on this blog are provided for general information and discussion purposes only.  These articles are not intended to suggest anything with respect to the operations or services of this office.