How to Boost Self-Esteem in Elderly Loved Ones

 

Research indicates that, after a lifetime peak that occurs somewhere around age 60, the average senior experiences a decline in their self-esteem. This can be due to many different factors, but one study published in Developmental Psychology identified health-related limitations and disabilities, a perceived loss of control, and increased loneliness as being associated with lower self-esteem late in life. The unique challenges that elders face, such as adjustment to retirement, decreased productivity, and the deaths of close friends and family members, can severely impact how one feels about the world and their role in it.

Older adults can play an active role in cultivating healthier levels of self-esteem with the following suggestions:

1. Seek Out Social Connections

   Regardless of age, individuals who have supportive, loving relationships with friends and family consistently report higher self-esteem and overall happiness.

2. Promote Feelings of Independence

   One possible cause of age-related decreases in self-esteem is a loss of independence due to physical and/or cognitive decline. When a senior worries if they are still capable of living on their own safely or their family questions their ability to drive, it can eat away at their sense of control, proficiency, and identity. Instead of dwelling on unavoidable losses, it’s best to encourage an aging loved one to focus on what they can control and do for themselves, even if they require some assistance or adaptations.

3. Find a Senior Group

   Human beings are social creatures by nature, and we connect with each other by telling stories and sharing experiences. Family members and friends are important parts of seniors’ social networks, but finding peers with whom you can connect is priceless. Find a group that gathers to play bridge or golf. Keeping up hobbies is an important part of maintaining self-worth. If activities are no longer possible, senior centers host groups aimed at supporting members through various life transitions—from sharing war stories to dealing with a loved one’s death. Maintaining regular contact with people you can relate to serves as a great source of support.

Reject Negative Stereotypes About Aging

A second study conducted by researchers at the Yale School of Public Health found that encountering positive messages about aging—instead of negative stereotypes about being “over the hill”—can enhance the mental and physical well-being of older individuals, enabling them to maintain their independence for longer.

Reversing ingrained stereotypes about aging can be a tricky endeavor, as lead researcher Becca Levy, Ph.D., professor of public health (social and behavioral sciences) and psychology, and her team found out.

“The challenge we had in this study was to enable the participants to overcome the negative age stereotypes which they acquire from society,” Dr. Levy described in a press conference.

Dr. Levy has pioneered the study of age stereotypes and the effects they can have on the health of older individuals. Her research has shown how negative age stereotypes can be damaging to elders’ physical health, so she set out to see if the process worked in reverse. To help older adults overcome negative thought patterns about their age, scientists divided 100 individuals whose average age was 81 years old into different groups. One group was subjected to positive age stereotypes through subliminal messaging. A computer screen would periodically flash positive words like “creative” and “spry” at speeds that were slow enough for participants’ eyes to recognize them, but too fast for their brains to fully process. The hope was that, by altering participants’ perceptions about aging in a subtle (yet positive) way, the older adults would feel better about themselves and be able to more effectively perform everyday activities.

Researchers were not disappointed. People in the subliminal messaging group had strengthened positive self-perceptions of aging, better balance and walking abilities, and an easier time sitting down and standing up from a chair. These physical improvements lasted for three weeks after the final subliminal messaging intervention, and the results surpassed those of a six-month exercise intervention study using a similar group of participants. Meanwhile, the other groups of older adults did not experience any enhanced mobility.