- The Benefits of Being Social for Older Americans - February 29, 2020
- Common Excuses for Not Buying Hearing Aids - February 29, 2020
- How Treating Hearing Loss Improves Your Relationships - February 18, 2020
Our family, our friends, our hobbies, and our social activities are enriching to our lives. These are some of the things we need to stay engaged in as we age. The benefits are not just emotional or intellectual – they actually contribute to our overall health and longevity. How does this correlate with our hearing health in particular?
First and foremost, being active socially requires that we pay attention to sustaining and maintaining our auditory health. Regular check-ups and modifying your hearing implements to your changing needs and environments are key. Cognitive health depends upon our consistent interaction with others via sports, competitions, socialization and even keeping up with the latest in technology. Group activities help us keep our cognitive functions resilient and fluid. Our hearing health depends upon it as well as our emotional needs.
What are some of the strategies we can employ to keep ahead of the game?
Stay social!
Visit your favorite neighbor down the street or have a coffee date with your friends or family. Are there card games that you like? Join a group that likes the same!
Offer your time to babysit your grandchildren, relearn the joys of playing and they will learn to appreciate their elders.
Spend your time with purpose!
Have you thought of the benefits of volunteering? Are you an avid gardener or collector of stamps, postcards or old cameras? People want to learn and share with you.
The neighborhood community gardens need people like you! As do phone banks for local community needs, the offices of your local council or faith-based organizations and charities. Whether it is making calls or providing baked goods for the local community drives your involvement will be appreciated.
Work out!
Joining the local gym, groups dedicated to physical activities be it yoga, tai chi or even walking or hiking. This can also help you to stay fit and social. A regular exercise routine is necessary to maintain your overall wellness both mentally and physically. Another possibility is that you can create social connections with like-minded people of all ages!
Work!
There are many part-time jobs that would greatly benefit from your experience. It would also help you maintain a schedule, stay active and involved and help broaden your social circles. Work allows us to keep a routine and even opportunities to learn new methodologies and technology. It keeps us to pace with the environment around us and mitigates isolation,
Embrace technology!
Feel like getting to know others? Social platforms for seniors are growing fast and technology is making it easy for you to create networks with others sharing common interests and pursuits.
Want to play chess online with your friend that lives on another coast, swap collectibles, or converse about your favorite literature? There are groups, for almost anything you can think of online, that are nationwide or just in your neighborhood!
You can also start your own group and create your own network of people dedicated to outdoor activities or travel making it economical and adventurous.
Keep learning!
Take a class on something you have always been interested in but never seemed to have had the time for. Whatever you have a passion for, there are resources available to you to learn.
There are many continuing education classes available online or at community colleges. In fact, there are many open-source educational platforms online where some of the best educators and innovators share and teach world-class seminars, classes, and entire certification programs!
What are the benefits of staying social?
We have healthier appetites when we are actively social. It’s always fun to have a meal with people you care about! Being social keeps us stronger and able to stave the biggest threat to individuals of any age or socio-economic strata: loneliness. Treating hearing loss keep us social and can help to keep depression at bay.
Even more, staying social with hearing loss treatment allows us to keep our cognitive functions alert and active. It really is a “use it or lose it” situation! The University of Berkeley provides you with greater insight as to how our physical mobility and our mental keenness can be sustained with greater socialization.
Other benefits from staying socially active are the possibilities of higher income and the ability to live in areas where there are greater amenities for people in their later years. Stay connected and that will help you stay vibrant and healthy! Contact us today to learn about how you can benefit from hearing loss treatment.