How You Can Help Your Aging Loved Ones Stay in Their Homes Longer
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Home is the place where we feel most comfortable. It’s a sanctuary for many of us as we age, and it makes sense that you would want to stay living at home if possible. Determining whether to stay in the home or move to an assisted living facility or nursing home can be a challenging decision for many.
In this article, we will give tips on how you can help your aging loved ones stay in their homes longer and have peace of mind in their decision.
Have a plan for their activities and daily routine and personal care
As a person age, the way they do their activities of daily living may change due to some physical limitations brought on by old age.
These activities include:
- Eating
- Bathing
- Dressing
- Using the toilet
- Moving around
Discuss with your aging loved ones their meal options by providing them choices with meal delivery or creating pre-packed meals good for a week. You can also educate them about placing meal orders online to boost their sense of independence.
Bathing, dressing, and using the toilet are one of the biggest challenges of those who are aging. Due to possible debilitations or poor eyesight, these activities may become a huge hurdle for them and can even put them at risk for hazards. Ensure to keep your aging loved ones safe by:
- Installing assistive handrails in corridors and bathrooms
- Putting non-slip mats in place
- Installing shower chair and handheld showerhead
- Raising the toilet seat or adding a toilet frame
If their rooms are upstairs, it will be a big help if you move them to a room downstairs where it is easy to access everything with a lesser risk of tripping or falling.
Lend a hand with household chores and shopping
Keeping the house tidy, doing the dishes, cooking, and grocery shopping – these tasks can become tricky and challenging for older people. One of the reasons why older people cannot remain at home is due to these activities, so lending a hand in performing these is a big help in making them stay in their homes longer. You may hire a companion to help them with these tasks if you live too far away or find it complicated due to schedules.
Maintain constant communication with them
Interaction with your aging loved ones is crucial during this time when they are going to senility. This helps fight depression and loneliness. Keeping them connected to the outside world and those who are close to them can stimulate fresh and new ideas and keep them on track with their memories, preventing dementia. Make sure to visit them as often as you can or during special occasions and keep constant communication with them through phone calls or video calls. This task may seem difficult, especially if you have a busy schedule, but this task should not rely solely on you. You can arrange a companionship or let them join community groups so they can continue socializing with others and enjoy their life aging at home.
Attend to their health needs
Aging brings about many health issues that are mostly the effect of an illness such as diabetes, stroke, COPD, and heart diseases. This means some of our aging loved ones require health therapies, medications, and other medical regimens to maintain their health and continue with their day-to-day activities. It will help to give them a personal care provider or caregiver to attend to their health needs. Asking for help from health institutions about programs they offer for rehabilitation and care of old age is also beneficial, so your aging loved ones are well taken care of.
Maplewood Sauk Prairie Health and Rehabilitation Center is a rehabilitation center and health care specialized in providing medical services to the senior population. For inquiries, call us today! .
References:
https://www.companiions.com/
https://www.whereyoulivematters.org/
https://homecareassistance.com/
