Helping Elderly Start their Mindfulness Journey

Mindfulness is one life skill that everyone should acquire to improve the quality of one’s life. Being mindful helps one to increase awareness and have better ability to control one’s emotions. When an individual has increased awareness and is able to better control his emotions, he will notice improvements in many areas of his lives, especially having improved and better relationships, be it at home with family members, at work with co-workers or at social settings with acquaintances and friends.

It is never too late to embark on the mindfulness journey. Anyone can start taking the mindfulness courses, at any age. Hence, elderly should consider taking mindfulness courses and mindfulness meditation.

I am going to share my experience in helping a 75 year old client embark on his mindfulness journey and also sharing the benefits of being mindful during his birthday party, with his family and friends. Firstly, I shared the theory aspects of mindfulness with him, including how the brain works and reacts to the mindfulness practice and benefits of being mindful. This is a critical first step because it helps him to better appreciate why he is doing this and have an end goal in mind. Secondly, I help him create a corner at his home to help him get into the routine and mood for his daily mindfulness practice. Thirdly, during my weekly one on one session with him, I will teach him the different types of practices, hear about this experience so that we can check on his progress.

During his 75 year old birthday party, I was honoured that he wants me to share with his elderly friends on the benefits of mindfulness and mindfulness meditation, as he very much wants his friends to embark on the journey and have first-hand experience on these benefits. I have also included a mindfulness handbook in the party favors bag, so that his friends can have a good read.

I have given him a birthday gift to help him with his mindfulness gift practice, which is one of the popular 75th birthday gift ideas that you can consider even for the birthday recipient who is not into mindfulness practice. This is because the birthday gift is one that can help in the emotional well being of the individual.

You may also consider buying the “Mindfulness for beginners” course as a birthday gift to the elderly, a priceless gift to help them live life to the fullest.