Staying at home for as long as possible is one of the top priorities for most older people. Home is comfortable and familiar; it’s where they have spent most of their lives. That is why most elderly people would rather stay at their home than move to a nursing home.
So How can you Help Take Care of Your Older Relatives Home, so they can stay in it longer? I have some ideas/tips for you, below.
How to Help Take Care of Your Older Relatives Home
Bring in Some Help
One of the first things you can do to help is to bring in some help. This might be assisted living care which can be adapted to your relative’s needs and provide meals, home care, and cleaning. But you might want to build up to that in time.
To begin with, you should think about employing a cleaner or dropping in yourself to do some chores. Naturally, if you can do some things yourself, you will save in the long term but if you are sacrificing social time with your relative, it’s definitely worth thinking about paying someone else. A local teen looking to earn a bit of extra pocket money could be a good way to go too.
Some may be used to their independence and have a certain way of living at home; it’s, therefore, important to try not to be too intrusive,” comments Ruban Selvanayagam of homebuying company over in the UK, Property Solvers.
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Adapt the Space
To give your relative the best quality of life while they are still at home, you need to make sure that their property is safe, first and foremost. Many elderly people forget to check things like fire alarms and may overlook other issues too.
They may need a few more adaptations now they are getting older. Installing grab rails in bathrooms and near the bed can really help your relatives as they can pull themselves up.
Adding a raised toilet seat with arms will help those with weaker legs or hip problems. Replacing stairs with threshold ramps will reduce trip hazards and make it easier for your relative to maneuver.
Downsize!
Older people tend to have a lot of stuff – they’ve had longer to buy things! However, this stuff can make their home cluttered and messy, making it difficult to maintain.
It can also be a hazard for them! The older they get the more they will stumble and fall. Getting rid of some clutter/stuff is always a good idea.
If your relative is planning to downsize, or you are worried that their home is hazardous, you need to help them to get rid of things they no longer need.
This conversation will be tricky as people tend to attach their emotional baggage to their things. A lifetime’s worth of stuff isn’t going to be easy to let go of.
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The important thing here is balancing tact with practicality. Go through things together and talk positively about the memories they bring.
A good compromise is to take pictures of things that are no longer needed but still hold memories. This way, you can keep hold of the idea of the thing while releasing it to another life elsewhere.
How to Help Take Care of Your Older Relatives Home gives you only a few helpful tips. However, taking care of someone else’s home is never easy but if you tread carefully and make sure you listen to your relative, you will find a way to help them so they can stay in their home longer, and be safer.
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