Aging is a natural part of life and the elderly are as important as anyone else especially if they are a loved one. The vast majority of people take their elderly relatives to nursing homes.
However, not all aging people want to spend their final days in such a facility. There are many that want to spend their time in their home and community till the end.
Given the needs of the elderly, it can be difficult to ensure that they stay at home. The following are tips to help you do so:
Customize the Home
An elderly person and a child are alike in many ways. Just as you have to childproof your home when you have a new child, you also have to customize your home when living with an elderly loved one.
The nature of the modifications you make to your home will depend on the needs of your family member. For example, if they use a wheelchair, you may have to build several ramps in your home.
The modifications might cost you a pretty sum but you can be creative and come up with unique solutions to the problem. The more comfortable an elderly loved one feels at home, the more likely they are to stay there.
Help Them Socialize
Everyone, especially the elderly needs companionship. The value of your relationships increases as you age and many elderly people want to maintain these relationships in their old age.
If you want your aging loved one to stay at home, you should ensure that they can still foster their relationships. It is certain that some relationships cannot last forever but they deserve companionship during a time when many people actually die of loneliness.
Make accommodations for their friends and family to visit them or vice versa. Healthy relationships will ensure that your aging loved one has great mental health during their final days.
Companionship Care
Companionship for the elderly goes beyond friendship and family who are often too busy to look after them from day to day. In addition, they also need companionship carers. Companionship care includes companionship by a caregiver to ensure your aging loved one is safe at all times. There are few people in these companionship careers. Therefore, you need to ensure you evaluate the caregiver sufficiently.
The companionship caregiver does more than socialize with your loved one. They will also help administer medication and keep accurate medical records that are monitored by a nurse or doctor.
Maintain a Routine
Most of us have a daily routine by which we abide. By the time you get old, the routine is so deeply ingrained that it is almost impossible to change it.
Therefore, if you want to help your aging loved one stay at home, you should help them maintain the routine. Granted, there may be a few changes due to their age but the rough outline of the routine should be the same. Posting an advert for Pennsylvania caregivers jobs or looking for caregivers in your area can help you find someone who can help your loved one in their day-to-day life.
The easier it is to maintain a particular routine at home, the more likely it is for them to stay there. Familiarity is one of the most potent forces in human life.
Have Outpatient Medical Care
Aging people have different medical concerns than younger ones and going to the hospital might be too cumbersome. If your aging loved one wants to remain at home, then you should ensure that they can receive adequate outpatient medical care.
Receiving medical attention from the comfort of your own home is very convenient. It is especially so for elderly people whose movement is severely restrained.
With round the clock companionship care and outpatient medical care, your aging loved one should stay free of any ailments. It will also ensure that they feel safe staying at home.
Help Them Stay Active
Staying at home can increase the chances of living a very sedentary lifestyle. As opposed to living at a nursing home or an assisted living facility where activities are provided, being active at home requires tremendous discipline.
Therefore, if you want your aging loved ones to stay home, you should help them stay active. There are many activities that the elderly can engage in that will keep them active. It may include walking, playing games like badminton, or even yoga.
There are many health benefits to staying active into old age; both mental and physical. It also improves your aging loved one’s sense of wellbeing.
Getting old is something we all need to prepare for whether for ourselves or loved ones. If you have a loved one that wants to stay home in their old age, the above tips should help them significantly.
It is a challenge to be at home as an elderly person. However, with the right help, it can be a wonderful experience.
