I recently read an excellent blog post from the Parenting Our Parents organization about geriatric depression. Shortly after reading that I ran across a new study published in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society that concluded:
Frequency of in-person social contact with friends and family independently predicts risk of subsequent depression in older adults.
The study found that in-person, face-to-face, contact is much better at reducing the likelihood for depression in older adults than other types of social interactions such as telephone calls or written correspondence.
This is yet another reminder that we human beings are social beings. Our mental state simply doesn’t do well when we become socially isolated.
The elderly are at a high risk of geriatric depression.
This is a perfect scenario where hiring someone to come in to the house as a cooking partner would be ideal.
Firstly, the cooking partner would make sure that there is a nutritious meal planned. Secondly, the social interaction involved with cooking together is tremendous. Cooking is active. It involves planning, moving around, and cleaning up. Perhaps the most wonderful part of it, is that you can do it every single day! This provides lots of opportunities for quality social interactions.
Family members who are worried about the lack of social interactions for an elderly relative should consider hiring someone who can swing by and help cook a great meal!