As children, we should pay more attention to our parents in our daily lives. Due to the role change and physical aging, parents are prone to misunderstandings, which can have an impact on their mental health and cause unnecessary harm. The following three factors are the main causes that affect the mental health of the elderly:
Three Factors That Affect the Mental Health of the Elderly
1. Role Transition
Psychological symptoms often arise after retirement. This is more common among retired officials, as their lives revolved around work before retirement and they held a high social status. After retirement, they often feel lost when faced with daily household matters.
2. Aging and Illness
After the age of 60, the body undergoes a series of physiological and psychological degenerative changes, including a gradual decline in physical and cognitive abilities.
This normal aging process can make the elderly feel "unable to keep up" and cause physical discomfort and pain.
3. Environmental Changes
The most common is the sudden change in the surrounding environment and the influence of social and family relationships.
The elderly often have difficulty adapting to these changes, which can accelerate the aging process.
How to Maintain a Healthy Mentality in the Elderly
1. Make Friends
Encourage parents to get out of the house and make friends with people who share common interests, so they won't feel lonely.
2. Cherish Family Bonds
Bring your children home to visit their grandparents more often, so that familial love can fill the air.
3. Keep the Brain Active
Middle-aged and elderly people should engage in activities that stimulate the brain, such as playing chess, painting, reading newspapers, and cultivating various hobbies.
Dietary Regulation
In daily life, buy more foods that are suitable for the elderly. For example, the following fruits:
1. Grapes
Grapes not only taste delicious but also promote the excretion of sodium in the body, helping to lower high blood pressure.
2. Strawberries
As humans enter old age, their digestive capacity weakens, and they often experience indigestion.
At this time, it is beneficial to eat more strawberries and kiwis, as they can regulate gastric acid secretion and eliminate various gastrointestinal bacteria.
3. Mangosteen
Mangosteen is a tropical fruit with tender flesh and high nutritional value, providing the body with various vitamins and minerals.
Additionally, this fruit can help remove cholesterol from the bloodstream.
4. Loquat
Ripe loquats are sweet and nutritious, containing various sugars, potassium, phosphorus, iron, calcium, and vitamins A, B, C, and more.
Chinese medicine believes that loquats have the effects of moistening the lungs, relieving cough, and quenching thirst.
