Benefits of spending time with the elderly

By Caroline Kammerer

Yet another thing COVID-19 has taken us from this year has been Grandparent’s Day here at Badin. This is a day enjoyed by many for students to spend time with their grandparents and give them a taste of what high school life is like now.

Even though this day has been cancelled, it’s still important to spend time with grandparents. And not just for one day, but others too. With the elderly being more at-risk during the pandemic, it’s important to continue to take precautions like social distancing and mask wearing.

Whether it’s a Zoom call or a cup of tea, spending time with the elderly not only makes them feel appreciated, but it has other benefits as well.

With old age comes greater wisdom. By spending more time with the elderly, there are many lessons we can learn about how to live our lives. We may think we know it all, but we have hardly experienced all of what life has to offer at this point.

Another lesson is respect. Unfortunately, the elderly population can be ignored and not taken seriously in society. By helping them out, you can learn how important it is to treat someone with respect.

Along with showing respect, you can learn to be more patient. Hearing issues become more common as we get older and sometimes that means saying something twice or being louder. This also helps us with our communication skills and adapting to the other person while still listening to what they have to say.

While these are all things that can benefit you, spending time with the elderly provides benefits for them as well.

Spending time with younger people can reflect upon an older person and make them feel young again. This can help improve their mindset tremendously. By having people want to spend time with them, the elderly can feel less lonely and forgotten.

Feeling forgotten is especially common for the elderly during the pandemic due to the danger of the virus, which makes it especially important to do whatever you can to make them feel appreciated. Even a simple phone call could help make their day.

As vaccine roll out increases, hopefully visiting grandparents in person will soon be a reality. Seeing grandparents is a blessing that should be taken advantage of if you have the opportunity.

http://www.markmerrill.com/8-reasons-your-children-should-spend-time-with-the-elderly/

https://kidscardonations.org/4-life-changing-benefits-of-spending-time-with-the-elderly/#:~:text=If%20you%20spend%20time%20with,help%20you%20grow%20in%20wisdom.