Did you know that Gahanna is called the Herb Capital of Ohio, boasting a Herbal Trail, botanical gardens, and annual herb festivals? This unique connection with nature makes it the perfect destination for any senior seeking comfort and calm in their later years, something that’s vital for maintaining emotional well-being.
Our older years can bring major transitions and life events. Read on to discover how therapy for seniors can help support emotional health after retirement.
Emotional Health and Older Adults
As we age, we may become more focused on physical ailments, such as aching joints or declining mobility.
However, what is just as necessary, and sometimes even more so, is our emotional health. Getting older comes with many adjustments and challenges, and occasionally enormous emotional upheavals like losing a loved one. All these factors can contribute to strong emotional reactions, like loneliness, depression, or anxiety.
It’s essential to recognize emotional triggers and understand the emotional needs of older adults so that caregivers, family, and friends can provide a supportive presence. Sometimes, that might mean seeking formal, professional help to protect a senior’s emotional well-being.
Aging and Stress in Your Senior Years
Everyone is different, so no two emotional challenges will look identical. Nevertheless, in your senior years, several strong themes and commonalities emerge. It’s helpful to know what these are so you can recognize them. They include:
- Loneliness and isolation, especially after a move
- Grief and loss
- Health worries or changes
- Reduced mobility
- Cognitive decline
Sometimes, these challenges can go unnoticed. It’s tempting to write them off as a natural part of the aging process.
However, living well in your senior years is as much about positive mental health as it is about feeling physically active, so don’t ignore the symptoms. One or more of these common symptoms should serve as a signal to pause, reflect, and consider seeking help.
Emotional Support for Seniors
Sometimes, the best form of emotional support is with professional therapy. Therapy can be a vital source of advice and guidance for seniors navigating significant life challenges, such as transitioning to retirement and adjusting to new routines.
Therapy, or counseling, can be a safe space where seniors can discuss their feelings, learn how to manage them, and, most importantly, develop coping strategies that can help with day-to-day life.
If you or a loved one senses that emotional challenges are becoming too overwhelming, seeking individual or group therapy with a professional counselor could be a helpful next step.
Therapy and Living in a Senior Community
It might be that you or a loved one are living in a senior community or planning to move to one. If so, consider the various therapy options available to support your emotional well-being.
Begin by speaking to staff members to get a better idea of what is available. For example, at Rittenhouse Villages in Gahanna, our Dimensions Health and Fitness program ensures that our residents receive all the support they need to meet their health goals, whether that involves improving physical strength or emotional well-being.
It’s a holistic approach that even extends to spiritual support via our in-house chapel. Our team is always available to support residents with their emotional needs and can arrange for more professional therapy and counseling if requested by a resident or family member.
How Group Therapy Can Support Mental Health in Older Adults
You could opt for formal group therapy to help support your or your loved one’s emotional health.
These types of therapies can help seniors feel a sense of connection, making them valuable if a senior is feeling particularly isolated, such as after moving home or losing a loved one.
Beyond formal therapy sessions, other informal group activities can be a valuable source of support for seniors, and that’s one of the benefits of living in a senior community. Take group activities like guided walks and mindfulness, for example.
These can offer a chance to focus on your mental health and get to know other residents in the community, which can help improve overall well-being, foster social connections, and manage some of the symptoms of mental health challenges, such as anxiety.
Life Transition Support: When Individual Counseling is the Right Choice
Sometimes, the most effective form of therapy for a senior may be one-on-one support. The advantage of this type of therapy is that it is private, in-depth, and tailored to the individual’s specific needs.
With this type of therapy, you’ll have regular sessions with a trained therapist in a safe, confidential space. You can use this time to explore emotional challenges or discuss some of your concerns and worries, such as health anxiety or a lack of friendship groups.
Therapists will often have a unique approach to tackling these challenges with you. However, it may take the form of ongoing conversations accompanied by practical tasks and goals that help you develop long-term coping strategies.
Gahanna Senior Wellness
If you live in Gahanna, OH, or plan to move there in your senior years, you’re well-located to find the right support for your emotional needs. Gahanna is in the northeast of Columbus, which means you have ample access to therapies and group support within a short driving distance of where you live.
Additionally, in a senior community like ours at Rittenhouse Villages, you may have access to on-site therapy without needing to leave the community.
Gahanna also offers numerous local attractions and amenities that can serve as beneficial forms of therapy for your mental health, including parks and natural spots. You could take a walk around beautiful Inniswood Metro Gardens or stroll along the river by Big Walnut Creek, for example.
Therapy for Seniors in Independent Living, Gahanna, OH
Moving to senior living in Gahanna, OH, is an exciting time, but it can also be a daunting life change. If you or a loved one are experiencing intense or unsettled emotions, it may be time to consider therapy for seniors.
Planning your move can ease the transition, so book a tour of Rittenhouse Village Gahanna today. With maintenance-free living, a recently renovated community, and exclusive lifestyle programs, we have everything you need to put your well-being first in your later years.
