Goal Setting for Seniors

Setting goals that seniors can work toward in their daily lives will give them many benefits including improved self confidence, vitality, overall health, and better social relationships. Having realistic goals and challenges can improve their happiness and cognitive health. It has been proven that those who have stayed mentally stimulated have healthier brains than those that do not. People who push and stay motivated to meet their goals, even if it is a simple as reading a new book, find that it is easier to preserve their mental health as they grow older.

When helping seniors set realistic goals, make sure that their goals are measured and tailored to their personal abilities and level of health. This will ensure that the person does not get frustrated and less motivated to move forward towards meeting their set goal.

The best option is to set short-term goals with a long-term goal in mind. For instance, you can encourage your senior to make smaller goals instead of one gigantic goal. Encourage them to set a realistic goal to-do list that they can work toward on a daily basis. Then, when they’ve reached these smaller goals, they can increase the frequency and make long term goals. This will make each goal easier to reach and less likely for the person to become frustrated. For example, one of your senior’s goals could be to get out of bed in the morning and brush their teeth, brush their hair and dress themselves. The next goal of the morning, if possible, could be to make their bed and so on. Every time they are able to complete one of their goals, they will have more confidence to move on to the next goal. It is also important to let them know that it is okay not to be able to reach all of their goals every day.

Once you have the goals established, write a plan. The plan will include anything that that person may need help with. Encourage them to be self-sufficient but seek assistance when necessary. For instance, they may need a companion from an established home health care organization like The Nurses Guild Home Health Agency.  This type of agency can provide quality home health care as they work through their goals and complete everyday tasks. When establishing the plan, this is a good time to set up the senior’s daily schedule. They do not need to have goals scheduled all day, every single day. Breaking the goals up throughout the day will keep them focused and will give them something to look forward to throughout their day.

Let your senior know that it is okay to modify their plan and goals depending on their energy level, health or a change in their schedule, such as an appointment.