Mental
health of seniors
This story was so
touching that I thought that I should share it with all. So here it is.
When Terry learnt
that her mother was trying to play scrabble against herself, she knew she had to
do something.
She asked her one
day, ‘’who is playing with you?’’
‘’My right hand
versus left ‘’, replied her mother.
Terry decided it was time to teach her mother computer.
Terry packed her old computer,
complete with scrabble and word processing program and thus began her mother’s absorption in the computer and also Terrys teaching assignment with her mother.
All her life, mother was her teacher; to cook, sew,
and knit; to laugh, to enjoy the good times and endure the bad. Now it was daughters turn to
give something back.
This story tells
us that no matter how old you are, a willing spirit is capable of learning
anything.
You don’t stop
learning when you grow old. Learning keeps a person’s mind active and agile.
According to brain experts, it helps maintain brain health by preventing loss
of brain function and cognitive skill such as memory, reasoning and judgment etc.
As people age,
finding ways to maintain quality of life is becoming urgent. Age alters the
structure of brain. For some people,brain
mass shrinks modestly around the age of 60 or 70 . The cortex also undergoes
modest thinning and the brain’s white matter decreases. This may play a role in
declining memory.
The good news is,
the age related brain function loss can be moderated by environmental factor
like intellectual stimulation, formal education, leisure activities and
professional pursuit. This can stimulate the mind and keep it healthy. More
knowledge builds more network of connection in the brain, says Dr.James
McGaugh.
Engaging in active
learning allows one to be actively involved in the community ,developing new
interests and for keeping up with young generation .Old People feel more healthy, happy, respected
and more independent when they peruse active learning in the senior years.
‘’The best way to
find yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others’’,said Mahatma Gandhi.
The other avenue
for seniors is to do volunteer work. This work is enhanced by formal or
informal learning experience. Seniors will have to sometime learn new
interpersonal and professional skills as well as time management skill.
There is
impediment to learning at advanced age. But by facing the challenge one will
make a one’s brain sharp. Family members should help seniors overcome learning
problems.
I am sure the
Governments role in supporting senior’s education program, will go a long way
in making seniors life better. In an76.6 million of plus sixty aging population,
such a program is a must. It should be under ministry of health as such programs
help maintain seniors mental health.