For most elderly individuals, their homes are their safe space.
However, age and other health issues may make it hard for your senior parents to spend their golden years in their precious abodes.
If you want to help your loved ones stay in the space they love as they start to encounter challenges, you may need to help them make some adjustments to their home and routine.
Follow these tips to help ensure your senior parents are safe and comfortable in their houses for as long as possible.
Evaluate Your Parents Needs
To efficiently start caring for a parent, you first need to understand their needs and their required care level.
Are your parents relatively active and sociable? Do they need assistance moving around the house? Can they still bathe and feed themselves?
Create a list of their daily tasks to help you gain a better perspective of what they need to live comfortably.
If they’re living alone, visit them regularly so you can properly assess their condition. Many elderly individuals hide their struggles out of fear of losing their independence.
Ideally, you should ensure that you or other supportive relatives live nearby, so that you can provide assistance if it’s needed.
If your senior parents have severely impaired mobility or other health concerns, you may need to hire a full-time or live-in caregiver, or consider alternative senior living arrangements.
Secure Their Home
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, falls are the leading cause of injury for adults 65 and over.
Conduct a thorough walk-through of your parents’ home and inventory possible hazards. Place yourself in your parents’ shoes, and imagine the common obstacles they face daily.
Address potential trip or fall hazards, and make permanent changes if necessary.
Rearrange your parents’ furniture layout to ensure they can easily navigate, even without help. Ensure their house has excellent lighting, especially in high-traffic spaces.
Concentrate on the areas of their home they use the most, like the bathroom, bedroom, and kitchen. Try to ensure that the areas are cozy and inviting, so that they enjoy spending time in the space.
Adding a comfortable chair, reading light, and customized Catstudio throw pillows to the bedroom, for example, will encourage your elderly parents to spend more time in that area.
If your parents are starting to deal with mobility issues, you may also want to invest in home safety tools such as emergency alert systems, wearable monitors, and security systems.
Enlist Help and Guidance
The demands of being your parents’ primary caregiver can significantly affect your well-being, especially without proper support and help.
That’s why it’s smart to get the entire family involved, and seek support from others. Delegate tasks to other relatives and make care a collaborative effort.
If you don’t have loved ones nearby that are willing to help, consider looking for support groups online or within your community.
Being able to talk with people that are also going through similar experiences will help you get additional guidance on how to provide the best possible care.
Don’t be embarrassed about seeking help or advice from strangers. Caring for a parent should not be a solo battle!
As much as you love your parents, caring for their needs when they reach senior years can be incredibly taxing.
Putting some serious consideration into the care your parents need, and finding ways to help them be as independent as possible can help lessen the burden.
Remember to practice self-care, establish healthy boundaries, and take advantage of all the support resources available to you.