4 Ways To Make Your Senior Loved Ones More Comfortable At Home

When you were little, your parents took care of you and nurtured you in your family home. For so many years, their home has been filled with many memories – both good and bad. So, it can be stressful for senior loved ones to have to be displaced. They’re already going through so many changes in their life and body as it is. It’s too much to have to uproot them from the place they’ve called home for so many years.

As an adult now with the responsibility of taking care of and ensuring your senior parents’ welfare, it’s time to make a lot of decisions. When it comes to housing, however, the good news is you can now keep senior loved ones at home, if such is the best choice for them. You just have to learn the different strategies to ensure their welfare while aging at home, with a caregiver and other home care packages.

Here are some tips to keep your senior loved ones happy and comfortable at home.

1. Avoid Tripping Hazards

Safety and comfort go hand-in-hand concerning senior care. A good starting point, therefore, is to declutter your home or reposition things to avoid tripping hazards. Depending on your senior loved ones’ age and physical condition, they might no longer be as mobile or quick with their responses. Even a simple trip or fall can result in serious injuries to the elderly.

Here are some measures you can apply:

• Remove loose rugs or carpets;
• Keep lamp, TV, computer, and other cords out of the way;
• Rearrange the furniture so there’s more space to move around.

2. Maintain A Routine

Like with young children, it’s beneficial to keep a routine with the elderly. This will make it easier for them to go through their day-to-day activities and have some structure within their day. Having a routine may also keep your aging loved ones’ health in optimum condition. They’ve got a strict bedtime and their body can also naturally remember when to wake up. This kind of routine keeps their circadian rhythm in check.

As you create a schedule for your senior loved ones, be sure to incorporate socialization and exercise time, too. This is one of the advantages of living at home. Your senior loved ones may have developed good friendships with the neighbors. Due to this, they won’t have to feel so isolated and alone.

Maintaining a good routine also comes in handy when a caregiver visits to check on your senior loved ones. It's important to stay on top of the medicines that need to be taken and other activities to be done for optimal health.

3. Make Their Home A Place To Visit

Even when you and your siblings live in different homes, you can still make it a point to gather as a family to visit your senior parents. You may not necessarily sleep there, but at least have a day to gather and spend time as a family.

Keeping your aging loved ones happy and comfortable also necessarily entails making them feel well-loved. It makes them feel like you care enough for them to spend time with them. It's also during those home visits that you can also help out with heavy chores they may not necessarily be able to do regularly anymore.

You can help with these tasks, for instance:

• Mowing the lawn;
• Filling up the fridge with healthy, home-cooked meals ready to re-heat;
• Deep-cleaning their home;
• Catching up on the laundry;
• Filling up the pantry with needed groceries and toiletries.

4. Keep Emergency Numbers Handy

A modern, high-tech smartphone might not exactly be what your aging loved ones need. Those phones might have too many bells and whistles to the point that remembering and looking for emergency numbers will take so much time for them. If that’s the case, you may want to replace their phones with something simpler. Also, keep emergency numbers handy. Don't just save those on their phones. Stick them on the fridge door or their bedroom door in bold and clear fonts.

When emergencies happen, the first few minutes of getting help are often crucial. Keep those numbers handy so your aging loved ones immediately know who to call when needed.

Conclusion

Keeping aging parents at home has a lot of benefits. But, those benefits can only be enjoyed when you’re sure they are safe, happy, and comfortable at home. If you have the honor of taking care of your parents, the tips above may help immensely. Most importantly, you may enlist other people’s assistance in caring for them. Get your siblings to help in the process. You can also ask for medical help by hiring an in-home caregiver. Your combined efforts can help ensure your senior loved ones can safely age in their own home.