Self-esteem is one of the key components that helps your aging adult to keep track of her personal feelings of worth. If her self-esteem suffers, she can start to have other problems, such as sliding into depression. Bolstering self-esteem is possible, but you can’t be responsible for your elderly family member’s self-esteem fully. That has to come from her and you can help.
Elderly Care Palmer AK: Senior Self Esteem
Built Opportunities for Independence
Losing her sense of self or losing the ability to handle certain tasks on her own can strike quite a blow to your senior’s self-esteem. Finding ways to help her build her independence can reverse those effects. Try to avoid doing too much for your elderly family member. One way to do this is to let her know that you’ll wait for her to ask for help rather than offering it automatically.
Focus on What She Can Do
As your aging adult experiences loss throughout her life, she may find it wearing her down. This is a great time to focus on what she can still do. Perhaps she needs assistance bathing with help from senior care providers, but she may still be able to make daily choices about her life. Even with a need for assistance, she still can handle some tasks.
Reminiscing Can Help
Reminiscing about ways in which she was powerful can help an elderly family member to find that inner strength again. Successes at work and at home can all help to remind her that she’s still got skills and experience that can serve her well. This can backfire, unfortunately, so you may want to steer clear of it if your senior is having difficulty remembering the positive experiences she’s had.
Maintain Dignity at All Times
Just because your aging adult needs a little bit of extra help, that doesn’t mean that the normal niceties disappear. Knock before you enter the room, especially if the door is closed. Respect your elderly family member’s privacy as much as possible and avoid talking down to her. Even the tone of your voice can imply that you’re regarding your elderly family member as a child. She’s not a child, but an adult with special needs.
Helping your aging adult improve her self-esteem takes time but it can be extremely helpful to her in all areas of her life.
