Someone in the family has retired and has too much time at home. What kind of help can family members give? How can young people better communicate with retirees? First of all, family members should understand the limitations and challenges that retirees face in an active life, including money (loss of income) and social networks (social networks established when they lose their jobs, it is difficult to find partners to participate in new activities).
It is recommended that family members allow retirees to participate in household chores within their abilities, so that the other person will feel that their lives are fulfilled and will not be too idle or bored. It can also encourage retirees to try to cultivate new interests, and may recommend themselves to accompany them in the early stage.
If retirees successfully establish a new social network, family members with financial means can support them financially.
How to better communicate between young people and retirees
1. Respect different points of view. Young people and older people are at different stages of life, have different life experiences, and face different challenges. Therefore, it is normal to have different views. If you are unable to understand and consider each other, friction may easily occur
. 2. Acknowledge each other’s emotions and intentions. Some older people cannot accept help from their children (may think they are “reduced” to the point where they need to live on others). It is recommended that the elderly, instead of feeling sad, agree with the child’s filial piety and kindness.
3. Express yourself directly. Some retirees may be afraid of becoming a burden to their children, and often hide their needs. This way of communication can easily cause misunderstanding or make people feel irritable.
4. Create a pleasant interaction. Young people should spend more time with retirees and carry out simple and fun activities, such as picnics on Sundays.
Early signs of inability to adapt to retirement
1. Feel overwhelmed and spend every day blindly.
2. Feeling bored, depressed or listless, and looking irritable.
3. Sleep well.
The long-term inability of the elderly to adapt to the impact of retirement
1. Psychological problems. You may start to feel anxious or have symptoms of depression. You may also feel particularly sad or scared and stop doing usual activities.
2. Physical aspect. You may feel uncomfortable, such as dizziness, palpitations, stomach upset, muscle aches, sweating, or lack of physical strength.
3. Cognitive aspect. There are many worries, negative thoughts, or pessimism about the future.
If the above phenomenon persists and affects life significantly, it is recommended that family members seek professional help.
3A help retirees adjust their mentality
to maintain a positive attitude towards life after retirement is particularly important. It is recommended that retirees pay attention to the following three “A”s to adjust their mentality.
One A: Aware (Aware) aware of one’s own values (what is important to oneself), and plan retirement based on these values. For example, if you feel that giving back to the society is important, you can choose to be a volunteer.
Two A: Accept and Adapt (Accepl and Adapt) Accept your own strengths and limitations, and understand that what you like to do will change according to your current ability. If I was a full-time teacher before, but due to the limitation of physical endurance, we can consider changing to part-time teaching.
Three A: Adventurous to cultivate new interests, participate in new activities, and meet new friends, which will help to discover new life goals.
