Why Video Calls Are Essential for Senior Happiness
In marketing terms, innovators are the ones you see lined up around the corner to buy the latest gadget on its first release day.
At the other end of that marketing scale are the laggards: those of us who shy away from shiny technology or wince as we open the thick pages of an instruction manual.
If you are apprehensive about technology, it's understandable. Nevertheless, you shouldn't let it get in the way of leading a full life in your senior years. Video chats, for example, can provide many benefits.
Here are some of the ways video calls contribute to senior happiness.
Video Calling Benefits: It Can Combat Loneliness
Connecting to the rest of the world using the latest technology can help combat loneliness. It is an instant way to see a friendly face, smile with a loved one, and chat about your day.
If you live in a senior living community, that immediate connection can help any time you feel worried or anxious, especially after you first move in. All you need to do is start a video chat, and you have a kind face there in your room, ready to listen to your concerns.
Virtual Communication for Seniors Helps You Connect With Distant Relatives
Connecting via technology is increasingly vital in an era where many seniors have loved ones who may live hundreds or even thousands of miles away.
A video call can connect you from your apartment to a new baby grandchild born on the other side of the world. Or you can chat with family as they go about their regular routine, getting the children ready for school and talking over the kitchen breakfast table.
It bridges generational divides, giving you a modern way to connect with everyone important to you - even a smile and wave for a family's pet dog.
Video Calls Improve Happiness and Emotional Well-being
Social connections are essential for our happiness.
They can lift us on a bad day. That's why video calls can be a fantastic support for mental and emotional well-being, as they give you a chance to boost your connections with others and experience the dopamine and serotonin rise you can from smiling, laughing, and joking with a friend.
Sometimes, when you are feeling down, or life feels difficult, a good chat with a friend can help put everything back in perspective again.
It Helps With Senior Social Interaction
A lunch date might be fun, but sometimes, finding time for a face-to-face catch-up can be challenging with busy schedules. But it shouldn't stop you from catching up with your group of friends and enjoying socializing.
Face-to-face chats offer that chance, and they are far superior to email or text messages. It's easy to imagine you are all in the same room, chatting over a coffee and discussing your favorite TV series. It helps deepen connections and form bonds.
Video Chats About Health Matters
Being in your senior years comes with some unique concerns you may not have faced in your younger years, like health worries.
Having video chats can offer peace of mind to friends and relatives so that they can check in on your health situation. On a call or email, it's easy to brush off poor health with a breezy reassuring sentence that you're feeling fine.
It's harder to present to the outside world on a face-to-face call. Relatives can see how you are and give you the support you need if they have concerns.
Attend Virtual Events
Virtual events have become more popular since their emergence during the COVID-19 era. And it's a great way to spend your time in your senior years if you can access video chats, you could:
- Join a virtual class to learn a new skill, like a foreign language
- Join a book club in your senior living community
- Attend a guest lecture on a topic that interests you
It provides mental stimulation for you in your later years. Plus, it's a social outlet, which makes it an exciting slot to add to your weekly calendar.
It Gives You Access to a Range of Virtual Health Services
Nowadays, you don't have to drive to the doctor to discuss an ailment. You can do it all via video.
That adds convenience and helps you get more prompt support for a health issue. It can also be used for a wide range of health services, such as mental health support from a therapist or getting advice from a nutritionist about healthy eating.
You can fill your calendar with comprehensive health support during your senior years without the inconvenience of multiple hospital visits.
It's a Chance to Embrace New Digital Connection Technology
Technology should be an asset in old age, not a barrier to communication. Getting familiar with video chats and how they work is the ideal way to get comfortable with newer technology.
During your first video call, you'll find it easier to get the technical help you need to make the chats work for you. Plus, it feels more natural.
You don't have to worry about accidentally writing everything in caps on an email or getting through a phone call with unexplained silences. You have facial expressions, visual clues, and gestures.
Enhancing Senior Life With a Welcome Routine
Routines are fantastic in senior years when you have ditched the 9-5. Routines help your day feel structured and organized, encouraging you to fill your gaps with plenty of activities.
Video chats can be one of those items in your daily calendar. It offers a time slot you'll look forward to attending and predictability that provides reassurance.
You'll have a constant space in your diary for connecting with others and never find yourself going days or weeks without speaking to those who are important to you.
Video Calls: For Happy and Sociable Senior Years
Even if you tend to avoid technology, video calls are one solution for which you should make an exception. They are the best way for you to stay connected with those who are most important to your life.
Make sure video calls are regularly scheduled for your senior years. And if you want to spend those years in style, check out the amazing amenities we have to offer in Ocean Grove Assisted Living and Memory Care.