Three Tips On How To Care For An Elderly At Home

The needs of the elderly are different from those of a healthy adult. As they age, their bodies become weak and more susceptible to chronic illnesses and diseases. The elderly will usually have a limited range of motion that can significantly impact their mobility. Their cognitive abilities will also start to deteriorate, making it challenging for them to accomplish tasks on their own.

If you’re living with an elderly at home, it’s important to make changes to ensure the safety and health of your loved one. As mentioned, their body changes with age, and letting them live in an environment that doesn’t adapt to these changes can put their health and safety on the line. Letting an elderly take a shower or bath without any handrails, for example, can increase the likelihood of slip and fall accidents at home.

Prevent this from happening by following these tips when caring for an elderly at home:

1. Find A Reputable Caregiver

Taking care of an elderly at home is not an easy feat, especially if you currently have a lot of things on your plate. Aside from looking after your senior loved one, you might also have to juggle your time and energy in taking care of your kids, maintaining your home, and reporting to work every single day.

If you don’t want to compromise any of these responsibilities, consider finding a reputable caregiver that provides in-home services. Tandem Careplanning, for example, will provide caregivers who will stay with your elderly loved one in your own home. Aside from having peace of mind, knowing that your loved one is in the hands of a well-trained caregiver, this service can also help an elderly with the following:

• Drive the elderly for their errands, such as buying groceries, visiting their friends, and showing up for their medical appointments
• Offer extra help in moving and completing chores around the home
• Prepare healthy meals based on the elderly’s nutritional requirements
• Provide companionship and friendship

2. Keep Your Elderly Loved One Active And Engaged

A senior will have a limited range of motion and less energy levels, but this doesn’t mean that they can no longer engage in any physical activities. On the contrary, you should strive to keep your elderly loved one active and engaged to keep them healthy and free from any illnesses and diseases. Regular exercise can also lower an elderly’s risks to injuries, as well as improve their mood.

Here are some activities that can keep your elderly loved one active and engaged:

• Daily walking
• Keeping up with the household chores
• Seated exercises
• Dancing to some tunes

If your schedule allows it, accompany your elderly loved one when doing all of these activities. This is especially important if the senior doesn’t have any experience in these activities. Having someone around as they engage in these physical activities will help them stay comfortable and reduce their stress levels.

3. Make The Home Safe And Accessible

For your senior loved one to continue living comfortably and safely at your home, you need to pay attention to every detail of your space. If your home has a set of stairs, for example, you need to consider if a senior can easily use this feature. Can the elderly still climb the stairs?  Or, do they suffer from chronic joint and muscle pain whenever they put too much pressure on their knees?  If it’s the latter, it might be best to install a ramp or a dumbwaiter for seniors.

Aside from improving how your stairs work, listed below are some tips to keep your home safe and accessible for the elderly:

• Improve the lighting: Your elderly loved one can no longer see as clearly as before. Seniors are prone to countless eye problems, such as cataracts and temporal arteritis. To make it easier for elders to find their way around your home even with these eye problems, improve the lighting of your home. Every area – from the entrance, bathroom, staircase, and to the kitchen – should be well-lit.
• Well-organized and labeled cupboards: Seniors are often forgetful. If they don’t have any issues cooking meals in the kitchen when they were still younger, they might have trouble identifying specific ingredients now that they are old.

Make their lives easier by making sure that your kitchen cupboards are organized and labeled. This will help the elderly easily find items the moment they start looking for them.

• Add more communication channels at home: Even if you’re going to let a caregiver look after your loved one, it’s important to maintain communication. You need to know how your loved one is doing and if they are suffering from any medical emergencies.

Add more communication channels, such as a telephone in your home, so caregivers can easily update you. Having a line will also make it very easy for you to contact 911 if your senior loved one suffers from a medical emergency.

Knowledge is Power

Caring for an elderly at home can be very challenging because their health and safety lie in your hands. An elderly with existing health conditions can even make this role more stressful.

Fortunately, by taking note of the tips presented in this article, your responsibility to keep your elderly safe and happy at home can become a piece of cake. It’ll be easy to make changes around your home if you know where and how to start.