There comes a time in life when roles become reversed, and the responsibility switches from your parents taking care of you, to you looking after your parents. Taking on such a commitment can be so rewarding, as making sure your parents can enjoy life to the fullest as they age is a brilliant way to repay the favour of them raising you. One of the best ways to help your elderly parents thrive is by adapting their home, as ensuring they can live comfortably and safely in familiar surroundings will no doubt improve their quality of life more than you could ever imagine. Being moved into a care facility is a big fear for many elderly people, whether they would like to admit it or not, so helping them to stay in their home for as long as possible is a great gift to give. Thankfully learning how to suitably adapt your parents home doesn’t have to be as difficult as you might expect, as this guide contains some of the best tips and tricks that you can utilise today. So, if you’re ready to learn more, then simply read on.
Change Their Furniture
The best way to adapt your elderly parents’ home is by changing their furniture, as the average furniture item isn’t accurately suited for old people who struggle with balance and strength. Begin with their living room, as this is likely the room where they will be spending most of their time. Replace their seat with a lift chair that can raise to make for easy rising, as lifting themselves out of their chair on their own can easily lead to a fall or injury. You can also choose the added extra of a raised leg rest to help them take some weight off their feet, as this can be extremely relaxing and comforting. In hallways and stairwells, you can install a variety of grab bars that they can hold onto for extra balance when they navigate around their home, as well as a stair lift that can bring them securely from one floor to the next without the risk of trips and slips. In their bedroom, you can purchase a lifting bed that works similarly to the aforementioned lift chair, as it’s a real risk that they could fall when trying to get in or out of their bed. Making these adjustments can transform the way that your elderly parents live at home, as they will be much safer and more relaxed having accessed the most suitable furniture for their needs!
Add Some Emergency Features
It’s vital that you can take the time to add some emergency features to your parents home, as you need to be able to maintain the utmost confidence that they are totally safe and healthy inside their property. One of the most effective options that you can explore in this instance is an alarm system that they can access in any room, linked up to either a local care facility or the hospital. This means that if they get into trouble in any room in their house, they will be able to reach for the emergency alarm and call for help. An alarm can be particularly helpful in rooms like the bathroom where slips and trips are common, as this means that if they fall in the shower, they can raise the alarm and access the support they need as soon as possible. Another system that you can invest in to keep your parents totally safe in the event of an emergency at home is gps trackers elderly people can use to keep their family or care facility up to date of their location. This means that even if your parents are pottering around the garden and trip over, they will still be able to raise the alarm no matter where they may be. You might also like to add some kind of video doorbell that you can stream to your phone, as this way you can see when someone is leaving or entering your elderly parents home. This can help you to track them if they head out of the house so that you can ensure they return back safely, and you can also see whenever someone knocks on their door too. Unfortunately, many thieves and other criminals see the elderly as easy targets, but having a video doorbell will allow you to see immediately if any untoward or suspicious behaviour occurs.
Helpful Reminders
Another adaptation that you can make to your elderly parents’ home to ensure they can stay as safe and comfortable as possible is to add helpful reminders. When you age it becomes far too easy to forget things, as conditions such as Alzheimer’s or dementia can make it really tricky to keep your brain in tip top condition. However, forgetting something as important as taking essential medication or forgetting to attend a doctor’s appointment can certainly impact on your elderly parents’ health and cause them to experience a world of unnecessary problems. Providing them with some kind of alarm and speaker system that you can program to alert them whenever they need to take their medication or eat a meal can be extremely beneficial if your parents are struggling with memory, as this will simply remind them to get up and look after themselves when you’re not around. If you don’t want to go as far as purchasing some tech that they might not understand, you can simply post some sticky notes around their home in high traffic areas that they can read. For example, you can post a note about eating breakfast next to the kettle, so when they come to make their morning cup of tea they will be reminded to have some toast or cereal too.
Adapting your elderly parents home to help them thrive has never been so such a simple task when you can take the time to make the most of the brilliant ideas that have been carefully described above!
