It’s not uncommon for everyone to feel lonely sometimes, but unfortunately, for many, loneliness becomes a constant state of mind as they age. For veterans, those feelings of loneliness can be even stronger and create an unhealthy mental state without the support of family, community based care, and medical professionals.
Loneliness is not simply being alone. Many people who live alone do not consider themselves lonely because they still have a strong community around them in which they feel connected.
Loneliness is an emotion that creates feelings of stress or pain from the thought of being disconnected from people who care about you. It can come from multiple causes, and for veterans, it has its roots in some unique causes that many who aren’t veterans have a difficult time relating to, thus making a veteran feel even more lonely.
Community based care programs are specially designed to support these unique needs of veterans.
If your loved one served at a place of conflict, he may have come home with a lot more than physical scars. The mental scars from battle are life-long and occasionally increase as a person gets older and has less ability to shove those negative emotions to the side. He might feel lonely and depressed as he doesn’t have others who can understand what he went through.
If your loved one returned home from serving with a serious injury or amputation, he might find, as he’s aged, that physical injury is making it more difficult to get out and do the things he used to love with people he cared about. That exclusion will create feelings of isolation and loneliness.
If your loved one has lost several friends in recent years, he may feel like his circle of support has gotten smaller and smaller, making it more difficult for him to voice his thoughts without judgment and have a compassionate shoulder to lean on.
Your elderly loved one’s only support person may have been his spouse. He might not feel comfortable talking about his feelings or thoughts with his children or friends, even though he knows they care for him. Not having someone to talk to about those strong emotions may cause him to withdraw and feel lonely.
A life-long military person may have problems reconnecting with the non-military world around him. He may not know how to find new friends, start new hobbies, or talk to others about non-military-based topics.
One way you can help your loved one overcome loneliness is to help him find new connections in his community for social connections and mental health support. A community based care liaison from a VA can be a great resource because they understand what your loved one is struggling with and can support him as he seeks out sources in the community for assistance.
Community based care providers can help him find mental health services along with other support services.
Loneliness shouldn’t be ignored with your loved one as it can lead to serious mental health issues that will not only affect his quality of life but may affect his ability to continue to live independently. It should be treated as any other mental health issue; to help your loved one find his place back in the community around him where he feels connected and supported. Community based care providers can help.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Community Based Care in Williamsburg, OH, please contact the caring staff at Freedom Home Care today at (513) 461-2780
Freedom Home Care Serves Veterans in Clermont County, Batavia, Amelia, Milford, New Richmond, Goshen, Bethel, Williamsburg, Loveland, Withamsville, Brown County, Felicity, Georgetown, Mount Orab, Ripley, Hamersville, Sardinia, and surrounding areas.
