Practicing mindfulness in aged care

What is mindfulness? Mindfulness is the practice of being fully aware of your body, mind and feelings in the present moment. It involves paying attention to where you are, what you are doing and the sensations you are currently experiencing.

When practicing mindfulness, you do not pass judgement but simply pay attention and acknowledge your present state.

The many benefits of mindfulness

Mindfulness has been shown to deliver a range of wellbeing benefits to those who practice it. These benefits can be physical and/or psychological, and mindfulness has the support of many health professionals.

Mindfulness can be used to gain benefits including:

✓ Relieve stress

✓ Reduce anxiety

✓ Lower blood pressure

✓ Improve sleep

✓ Relieve pain

✓ Promote happiness

✓ Develop self-awareness

✓ Improve focus

✓ Encourage calm

Why is mindfulness important for older individuals?

Focusing on the present is challenging for anyone, and unsurprisingly many seniors can tend to spend a lot of time thinking about the past and worrying about the future.

Mindfulness enables older individuals to have the ability to shift their mental state into the present to reconnect with themselves and their surroundings.

In addition to the benefits above, research has even shown that mindfulness in aged care could help to prevent dementia, slow its progress, reduce dementia-related stress and improve quality of life.

Incorporating mindfulness in aged care

With so many benefits, mindfulness is a simple way for carers to support health and wellbeing in aged care and disability settings. It is simple to incorporate and doesn’t require any special areas or tools, so you can do it anywhere and at any time.

Download your free eBook below to learn more about practicing mindfulness in aged care settings.

At Selmar we use our years of knowledge and experience in aged care and disability care to support carers, facilities and students each and every day.

Submit the form to download your free essential guide to introducing mindfulness in aged care settings.