As the senior members of your family get older, they might not have enough energy and strength to support themselves. With that, you may need to look for ways to give them a comfortable life as they age. Fortunately, there are many care options you can explore, and aging in place is one of them.
Letting them stay at home as they get older or aging in place enables your senior loved one to live at home, where they can feel most comfortable. However, this can get tricky as you need to be hands-on to give them the care and assistance they need. Moreover, you may need additional help in overseeing their healthcare needs.
To help you, below are ways to support your senior loved one age in place:
1) Hire An Aged Care Provider
Depending on your home’s setup, you can let your senior loved one live with other members of the family or give them the option to live on their own and be independent. If they prefer to live alone, it’d be ideal to have additional help and support by hiring an aged care provider to look after them while you’re away. This way, you wouldn’t have to worry about their health and safety as there’ll be someone looking after them.
An aged care provider will provide support and attend to the needs of your senior loved one. They can help with household chores, maintain the home and garden, prepare meals, provide transportation, and care for medical and other health concerns. Essentially, by having an aged care provider, you can rest assured that your senior loved one will be assisted throughout the day.
2) Visit Regularly
If your senior loved one chooses to live alone, it doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t want company. In some cases, it might be because they want to keep their independence, while for some, they don’t want to cause inconvenience to the other members of the family.
That said, as you allow your senior loved one to live on their own, it’d be nice to visit them once in a while. Your presence will surely make them feel happy and appreciated as someone they love takes their time and effort to see them, even if it means visiting for a few hours weekly.
During your visit, you can catch up with them on what’s happening in your life, may it be work or recent travels. You can also ask them what they’ve been up to and what keeps them busy. Perhaps, they’re exploring a new hobby or interest. Moreover, you can also use this time to ask if something’s bothering them or if there’s anything they want to change or update with their current living arrangement.
Remember, as people’s needs evolve, they may require specific modifications to improve their comfort and quality of life. For instance, they might need mobility stairs installed to ensure safe and easy access to different levels of the home. Alternatively, they may be interested in upgrading to a bidet toilet for added convenience and hygiene. Or perhaps, they are on the lookout for Hospital Bed Solutions that provide greater comfort and support, especially if they have health-related concerns.
Essentially, visiting them can be a great way to reconnect and bond with them. It’ll also allow you to learn more about how you can better support them age in place.
3) Ensure House Safety
Safety should be your priority for a senior loved one that chooses to age in place. You can begin by transforming the place into a safe and elder-friendly home. This includes replacing their floors with carpet or rubber flooring to prevent slips, moving their bedroom to the ground floor, adding safety handrails to the bathroom, and more. These small house improvements can go a long way in making their home safer and more accessible.
In addition, you can place CCTV cameras indoors and outdoors. You can also invest in medical alert systems or wearable healthcare technology, such as automatic fall detection devices that alert a professional who can then dispatch help to your loved one’s exact location. Other devices include fitness trackers, and wearable blood pressure monitors, among others.
4) Plan Activities
A senior loved one aging in place could easily get bored, especially if there’s nothing much they can do during their day. So, to keep them engaged, you can plan activities they can do to keep them occupied and mentally stimulated.
For instance, they can include sudoku or crosswords puzzle, knitting, baking, tending the garden, and more in their senior lifestyle. Furthermore, you could also plan activities you and other family members can do on the weekends to keep them moving. You could go for a walk together or go out of town.
Takeaway
Supporting a senior loved one to age in place can be quite tricky. But as they choose to live alone, it’s best to provide the best support possible. This’ll ensure their safety and comfort, so you don’t have to worry about how they can easily get from day to day. Moreover, looking for the right environment and provider can give your senior loved one all the support they need.
