It is not an unknown fact that an optimistic attitude takes you a long way in life and helps you deal with the many challenges of life. Also, positivity boosts the cognitive function of the mind and makes a person resilient. But when it comes to senior citizens, optimism acts as a protective shield that delays decline of their cognitive functions found a research published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

Currently COVID crisis is threatening to shatter this protective cover of our aging members of the community and thereby exposing their mental health to damage, stress, anxiety and so on.

Here are some ways to keep  the optimism alive in, if you have senior citizens at home

• Talk to them frequently and not just about COVID but other issues. Reminisce with them about the good olden days, how they overcame tough times in their lives and faced the challenges. This will remind them of their own strength and help them wade through the COVID times.
• Limit their exposure to unverified news and share correct, and positive news with them—how many people are recovering, stories of Corona heroes, stories of economies getting back on their feet—any news that instill hope.
• Involve them in some spiritual practice if possible. It could be as simple as chanting once a day along with you, sitting silently in the balcony enjoying the sunrise, or simply going through a ritual of worship everyday. Being closer to themselves or believing in the divine power, instils a faith  that there is somebody to put all things right once again.
• Discuss your own challenges with them seeking advice. You may or may not choose to follow the advice but discussing it with them makes them feel valued, important and positive.
• Praise their efforts enough—if they have cooked something, tell them how you absolutely love it, praise how you admire their disciplined lifestyle, talk about your admiration for the wisdom they have collected over the years.
• Make happy events a regular part of your day—a meal well cooked, a board game, a movie you all can enjoy together as a family with popcorns and cool drinks.
• Listen to their problems and consciously try and point out the silver lining in their cloud each time. But be sincere about your efforts else it is going to backfire and leave them feeling worse.