Wellbeing Wednesday: Caring for older people

Lower temperatures, darker evenings and a higher chance of illness mean winter can be a difficult time for older people.

Add a second wave of Covid and another national lockdown, and those challenges of isolation and keeping our older relatives, friends and neighbours well - as well as ourselves - have already been brought into sharp relief.

Dave Tilmouth shares a video on how he’s been caring for his 88-year-old mother throughout the pandemic. Watch Dave’s video...

The Keeping Well At Home guide Dave mentions in the video is available here.

Here are some of the tips Dave gives to keep your older relatives, neighbours and friends well over winter:

• Call them frequently, talk about the news and restrictions in their area, when to wear masks and other relevant health advice
• Remind them to stay in touch with their friends and relatives regularly
• Use appropriate communication. Most older people prefer to use the telephone and written documents through the post, rather than email and internet messaging
• Use appropriate technology. Dave has installed an internet-enabled thermometer at his mum's house so he can check she's warm enough. He's also installed Alexa so if for any reason he can't reach his mum on the phone he can still contact her
• Encourage them to exercise. Dave’s mum likes going for walks, but if your loved one can’t leave the house ask them to try some of the drills in the Keeping Well At Home guide.

It's also important to remember as a carer to stay healthy, so you can look after your loved one best. LifeWorks has recently published an article on Avoiding Carer Burnout.

Unipart's Employee Assistance Provider called LifeWorks, has a wide range of resources that can help to support you, and up to five members of your family, with a variety of health and wellbeing topics. This may be an issue at work, or at home. 

You can get free, confidential support from independent caring counsellors 24/7, via the phone number on 0800 169 1920 or through unipart.lifeworks.com or the LifeWorks mobile app. 

If you don't already have a login, find out more about how to sign up here.