Four Reasons Meditation For The Elderly Is Recommended
When it comes to your parent's health, you want to be sure that they are not only being cared for on a regular basis, but that they are also participating in activities that enhance their daily life and possibly enrich their lifestyle and health. One of the activities that are highly recommended by health professionals is meditation. Here are four reasons you should look into it for your parent:
No Physical Activity Required: If your parent is unable to be physically active, meditation is a great activity to participate in because it doesn't require any movement. Any kind of meditation practice can be done sitting down or even lying down. Even so, it still helps reduce blood pressure, improve productivity, and increase the feeling of happiness and fulfillment.
Reduces Confusion: Those suffering from dementia can even benefit from meditation because of the fact that it reduces stress, which often triggers confusion in dementia patients. On top of this, because confusion is reduced and happiness levels increased, it can reduce aggressive behavior that is also often seen in dementia patients.
Keeps Brain Healthy: Aging does damage to the brain no matter what health issues may be associated. To combat this, meditation is a great practice, especially if your parent currently does not suffer from dementia. Since meditation slows down the process of the brain aging, it can also, in turn, reduce the chance of dementia developing from a deteriorating brain.
Decreases Depression: Depression is found all too often in the elderly for many reasons. It could be because they feel lonely or they do not like having to be dependent on others for their care. Whatever the case, meditation can combat this easily and prevent your parent's need to start to feel withdrawn from society.
How can you get your parent to practice meditation? Well, for one, you could participate with them. After all, there are benefits for everyone no matter what age. You can also find a home care nurse that will help with the daily practice of meditation, as well. You can even purchase videos or audio books that will help your parent regularly participate at home. You can even sign your parent up for regular meditation practice, which is offered through many types of health and fitness centers. However you do it, it's easy and advantageous for your parent and for your own peace of mind knowing that they are participating in a healthy activity.