When you have an elderly loved one that’s stuck at home a lot, either because that’s what they prefer or because they need to spend a lot of time in an assisted living facility, they may experience a lot of boredom in their life. But luckily, there are things that you can do to help them find ways to pass the time, especially when you consider all of the new media that they can take advantage of if they only knew how.
To help you show them just what they could be reading, watching, and listening to, here are three tips for introducing your elderly loved one to new media.
Explain To Them The Benefits Of This New Media
For many older people, it can be hard to accept new forms of technology and the content that can come along with them. While they may have liked the movies and music from when they were younger, they might not know how to branch out or even how to access some of that content. But with new technology, there are so many new forms of media that your elderly loved one can appreciate.
With your willingness to teach them and to get things set up for them, you can show your elderly loved one all kinds of new media that can help them learn and be entertained. This can help them to live a happier life and to continue to expand their minds and their worlds.
Help Them Find Content They’ll Like
Once you’ve introduced them to content like social media channels, podcasts, streaming services, audiobooks and more, you should then help them learn how they can comb through all of this available content to find something that they’ll actually like.
In some instances, search functions can work great for helping your loved one find content that interests them and that they’ll enjoy. You can also show them how to find lists of content for people to try if they want to consume something that’s similar to something else they’ve liked. You can also subscribe them to channels about things they’re passionate about or that are meant for people of their generation.
Make It Something You Can Connect Over
Now that you’ve introduced your elderly loved one to new forms of media and new content for them to appreciate, something that can help them be more invested in it is to turn it into something that you can connect over.
If you have a podcast or a show that you love, share it with them and talk about what you like about it together. This can help you both find a greater appreciation for the content as well as finding a greater connection between the two of you.
If you think that your elderly loved one could enjoy experiencing new media and the content that’s available thereon, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you learn how to best introduce this to them and it something that you can share.