Providing help for the elderly helps them to enjoy staying at home. Home care services are one of the best ways to give help to the elderly. The elderly will require assistance since they can not handle everything by themselves. Living in a nursing home does not appeal to many seniors because they prefer aging at home. Home care services make this possible.
Help for the elderly
Maintenance of the House
Running a household takes a lot of work that the senior is unable to keep up. Such activities include cleaning the house, gardening, laundry, and shopping. The elderly may also forget a doctor’s appointment or to pay certain bills in the house. The elderly will need help to manage the household and to remind them of doctor’s appointments. They need to leave in a clean environment. A caregiver is needed or subscribe to the nearest home care service provider.
Transportation
The senior may experience difficulty in driving because of eyesight or having painful joints. Driving becomes a great task among the elderly. This challenge can be solved by getting a person to provide transportation services to take the elderly to the doctor’s appointment. Alternatively, they can have a scooter to give them independence and to allow them to maintain their social network.
Modifying the House
Home modification for the elderly is inevitable. It allows the senior to age at home comfortably and being able to assess different parts of the house. The modifications that help the elderly include grab bars, shower bench, walk-in shower, a lift chair, and install ramps at the entrance. The bed can be modified to mimic that of a hospital for flexibility and comfort. Having proper lighting on the pathways will help minimize falling accidents.
Help for the Personal Care
The elderly need help with personal care activities such as meal preparation, tidying the bedroom, arranging the clothes, dressing, and bathing. They also need help in medication reminders and monitoring blood pressure or sugar levels. This help can be provided by home care service providers or you can hire a homestay caregiver. Even after modifying the house, the elderly will still need assistance to help them stay in a clean home environment.
Socializing activities
The elderly need help to socialize with others and to participate in activities such as picnics and fruit picking. It is important not to neglect the socializing needs of the elderly. Living them at home when everyone else is going for shopping or a picnic can cause depression. They will feel that they are left out. They need to feel loved and involved in family activities and help them maintain socializing activities. If there are other elderly people in the neighborhood, the elderly can get to meet them. The senior can also join a group of the elderly to take walks in the park or to just meet up to talk and share.
Suitable Aging Home
Here are factors to consider when choosing a suitable aging home for the elderly.
- The accessibility and location. Is the house located in the interior of the rural area which needs a lot of driving? Is the house too far from a medical facility? How close is the house near a shopping center or community services? The location is crucial because accessibility and being near to a medical facility is of great benefit. If the home is too far, you can consider another location.
- Is there any family or friend living near the elderly’s home? Emotional and physical support to the elderly is important. To have a home near family friends or a family member will reduce the feeling of loneliness. They will be able to participate in community activities with family members or family friends.
- As much as the home will be modified, the elderly will always need help. Therefore, consider hiring a homestay caregiver. Get a caregiver that knows how to take care of the elderly.
- The safety of the house is important because the seniors are vulnerable to theft. Ensure that the home has enough security and install security cameras too. It will help to scare away intruders. The caregiver and the elderly should have emergency numbers stand by to call of help in case of an attack.
