It’s no secret that the service that started it all was our senior companion care service. It’s my absolute favorite service that we offer, and one that’s near and dear to my heart for many reasons.

As the business grows and expands I am busier than ever but no matter how busy I become, I’ll always make time for the senior clients that I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know and work with over these past 4 years.

I could go on and on listing the many reasons why I love senior companion care but we’ll save that for another day. As a young 26 year old, one of my favorite reasons I love this service is because it teaches me so, so much. Here are some of my favorite things that I’ve learned from working with seniors.

1. Pause, and enjoy life….without technology once in awhile. Out of the handful of senior clients I assist with, very few of them have cell phones, computers, or tablets. They aren’t glued to technology like most of us are now days. They’re not constantly worrying about posting on social media, responding to texts and emails, or any of that stuff that we’ve become so use to. The result? They are much happier, less stressed, and truly are able to enjoy the present moment. Something I think we all could use more of!
2. Always make your family and close friends a priority. I can’t tell you how many truly heart breaking stories I have heard from my clients about how those who were once closest to them suddenly have no time for them as they age and need more assistance. My senior clients have taught me the importance of making more time and making more of an effort to remain close relationships with my family and friends….no matter what stage they are at in their life or what they are going through.
3. It’s important to find a hobby that you love. The seniors I work with all have their hobbies and interests that keep them busy, keep their minds sharp, and allow them to socialize with others. Whether it’s reading, volunteering, painting, gardening, putting together puzzles, writing, walking or anything else I think it’s important that we take the time to find something that we love, something that excites us and motivates us so that we have an outlet to relax and enjoy life.
4. How to face Adversity. The only sure thing in life is that things will get tough, and no one has learned this difficult lesson better than our seniors. When we find ourselves in the midst of a trial or struggle, it can be easy to feel as though things will never change. But what seniors know is that life has a rhythm, and nothing ever stays all-bad or all-good. Definitely a good lesson to take away from seniors.
5. We all have so much to learn yet. It’s not until you find yourself in a conversation with a senior that you realize that you’ve got such a long, long way to go as far as understanding how things work in this life. Learning never stops in life. We just need to make sure that we’re open to learning and growing through every stage of life.
6. Don’t care what others think. When you’ve been on this earth for eight or nine decades you’ve learned to stop caring what others think of you, who you are, and what you do. This is one of my favorite lessons learned from seniors as I truly love watching them be authentically themselves without the worry and fear of being judged by others.
7. The importance of making time for what truly matters. Have you ever felt so busy that you didn’t know what to tackle first? You’ve got work to do, errands to run, loved ones to spend time with, Netflix to watch. Life is constantly throwing attention-seeking needs at us that can quickly throw us off balance if we don’t know how to prioritize our time. But do you know who does know how to balance life? Seniors. Seniors are aware that their time is more limited and they want to make the most of it doing what they love with who they love.

We can all learn so much from the seniors in our lives if we just take the time to spend time with them, to listen to them and to observe how they live. I feel so blessed that I have had such wonderful senior clients in my life who have taught me so much! Lessons learned that I will never forget.