Dr. Sue Varma

Can I show up at your house with tools?

Do you like pottery?

Would you take an online class?

So tapping back into those hobbies, I think are really helpful.

Totally.

And they found that with grandparents, letting them know, like, you have a graduation, we have a birthday party, putting things on their calendar.

Yes.

it actually extends their life and improves their health.

So definitely anticipation.

And even like planning a vacation, however small it might be, even if it's the equivalent of movie tickets or Broadway tickets or something social, every six to eight weeks, giving them something to look forward to, whether it's a visit from you, whether it's a family reunion, even if it's six months down the line.

But that says...

I need to stay active.

I need to stay healthy.

I need to stay sharp.

It sends the message that I still am important.

Not to turn this conversation too dark, but I'm a psychiatrist.

I work with people who are survivors of suicide or who think about it.

And I think about older adults and what are the risk factors.

And one of them is feeling like you're a burden and that you don't matter anymore.

So this idea that I'm not a burden, that I matter.