Social Connections and Activity Help Slow Seniors’ Cognitive Decline

By Kewana Jamison, RN, Agrace

Retirement went well at first for 70-year-old Dave: No more cows to milk and hay to bale for the life-long Wisconsin farmer.

But over the next five years, he slowly changed. Once a friendly storyteller, Dave struggled to hold a conversation. His thoughts wandered and his sentences trailed off. He coped with the changes by spending more time alone. In his favorite recliner, watching sports and endless reruns of Perry Mason, Dave felt comfortable. But his world was shrinking.

Eventually, Dave refused to go to church. He could no longer keep up with the other card players at the VFW, and it wasn’t safe for him to drive to town. His wife worried about his isolation—and whether  Dave would go downhill even faster.

Dave’s story hits home for many Wisconsin families. About one in every four Americans aged 65 and older is socially isolated, and a significant number of adults report feeling lonely, according to a 2020 Consensus Study Report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.¹ The same report notes that social isolation is associated with about a 50 percent increased risk of dementia.

We are social beings! We like to see and be with other people. When we’re secluded, we can’t feed our need for human contact. A phone call or a video chat isn’t always enough. We need to be around other people and talk. A conversation might jog a happy memory for someone whose memory is slipping. That’s why families look for ways to restore the connections, happiness and health their senior loved ones have lost—hoping to slow down cognitive decline.

There are mental benefits to your senior loved one if they are able to be active, interact with others and do interesting, challenging things. A 2012 scientific literature review by the Journal of Aging Research found that “physical activity, intellectual stimulation and socialization all provide benefits to cognition and overall well-being in patients with age-related cognitive impairments.”²

Some of the usual places seniors could socialize—at senior centers, churches and social clubs—may still be off limits because of the pandemic. So here are a few other options:

1. Arrange for friends and family to visit regularly, with physical distancing. Make sure your loved one has their hearing aids and glasses handy, so they can see, hear and answer the guest. If possible, move visits outdoors to enjoy the mood-enhancing sunshine and sounds of nature.
2. If you’re visiting with a senior, plan enough time, and talk where distractions are limited, suggests Dementia Care Central, a website of the National Institutes on Aging. Ask about their family, siblings and where they grew up. People love talking about their lives! Really listen to them and acknowledge what they’re saying.If you don’t know what to talk about with a person who has dementia, talk about their environment. The Alzheimer’s Society recommends, “Anything that they can see, hear or touch might be of interest.” Use simple sentences. Don’t correct or argue if they are mistaken about details. Help them keep their dignity by going with the flow.
3. Hire in-home caregivers to spend time with your loved one a few days a week. The right caregiver can build rapport and be a fresh audience for oft-repeated life stories of a person who’s experiencing memory loss. They can also lighten the load by preparing meals, doing light housekeeping and helping your senior with personal care and grooming. Conserving energy is key for family caregivers, and in-home care gives them extra support.
4. Using an adult day care center. Although scarce, these are safe places for your senior loved one be with other people, make friends and try different mentally stimulating activities. Importantly, you will have an opportunity to take a break and rest, shop or go to your own medical appointments without splitting your attention.
5. At home, let your senior help you. People love to do what they’re used to—what they know. They want to feel involved, wanted, needed. If they are able, have them clear the table, bake, fold clothes or help with gardening. Moving around also promotes blood flow and prevents skin breakdown. Staying stationary too long, day after day, can lead to blood clots, pressure sores, constipation and even pneumonia.

Even during the pandemic, you can do a lot to foster your loved one’s sense of well-being and help them stay sharper. Give these ideas a try!

Kewana Jamison, RN, Adult Day Center Manager

Kewana Jamison, RN, is manager of the Agrace Adult Day Center in Madison. She has worked at several skilled nursing facilities in the Madison area, caring for residents with dementia. She loves to tell stories and jokes; eat BBQ and soul food; play dominoes, pool and darts; and take cruises. 

¹Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults: Opportunities for the Health Care System (2020) A consensus study report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

²Use of Physical and Intellectual Activities and Socialization in the Management of Cognitive Decline of Aging and in Dementia: A Review (hindawi.com)