aging in place Archives

Stress-Free Senior Caregiving: 4 Tips to Make the Job Easier

January 4, 2020 by Karen Weeks

It can be difficult to watch your parents and other family members get older. As seniors age, they tend to lose some of their abilities to properly care for themselves, and family caregivers often need to step in to provide extra support.

Providing support can be tricky when you live far away. However, you can use these four caregiving tips to provide adequate senior care, even when you’re a plane flight away.

Fragile seniors have a host of needs from physical to psychological. Providing support from a distance takes forethought, but the rewards are great. Photo Credit: Raw Pixel

Invest in Home Safety to Prevent Senior Injuries

As a family caregiver, ensuring senior safety at home should be a top priority. Seniors who plan to age in place can be more prone to household accidents, such as falls. To keep your senior loved one from being injured in a fall, help him/her make a few simple but effective aging in place changes around the home.

Adding grab bars throughout bathrooms, installing ramps around stairs, and eliminating clutter from floors are changes to consider, and these measures can ensure your loved one’s safety at home. Seniors can also be at risk for burns, so have water heaters checked and adjusted to a lower temperature. Think of ways to simplify food prep and cooking, which can help prevent fires and carbon monoxide poisoning. Since accidents can still occur, it’s also important that your loved one keep a first-aid kit and fire extinguisher on hand.

Research Home Security to Protect Solitary Seniors

Keeping seniors safe from outside threats can also help give long-distance family caregivers some peace of mind. One of the most comprehensive steps you can take to ensure that your aging loved one is protected from break-ins and other dangers is to invest in home security. There are countless options to choose from when it comes to modern home security systems, so be sure to do your homework.

Look for features and prices that will fit your long-distance caregiving needs. Some systems may come with mobile monitoring capabilities, which can be beneficial for keeping an eye on a senior who is living alone. You can also check into medical alert options. These detect falls and other household accidents and alert local emergency services so that your loved one will always be connected to lifesaving care.

Make Senior Mental Health Management a Priority

Adequate mental health services are also crucial for seniors who are aging in place and who live far from family caregivers. Thankfully, seniors who are enrolled in Medicare Part B have access to mental health care benefits. Medicare Part B makes seeking out help from a counselor or using psychiatric health services less of a financial burden.

Under Medicare Part B, seniors are also entitled to an annual depression screening from their primary healthcare provider. This screening can help combat the epidemic of loneliness that affects seniors who live alone.

Seniors who feel isolated and alone are more prone to feelings of depression, as well as other mental and physical health issues. So encourage your loved one to use these mental health services, but also look for ways to keep him/her connected. A visit from a Meals on Wheels provider is one way to prevent isolation and depression.

Keep Seniors Healthy with Accessible Health Care

The right Medicare plan can also help you stay in control of your senior loved one’s physical health and wellness. With so many Medicare resources available online, this is something you can easily do on your laptop or phone. Use a phone call or video chat session to discuss Medicare plans with your senior family member.

With a comprehensive and complete Medicare plan in place, you can help your aging loved one keep up with regular screenings and appointments. You may also need to arrange affordable transportation for your loved one. You can do so from afar by looking into local options for rideshare services, public transportation, and medical center shuttle services.

You can’t always live close to your senior loved ones, but that doesn’t mean you can’t provide compassionate care from afar. With a few preventative measures and simple strategies, you can still ensure that your aging family members feel loved, protected, and free from worry. Best of all, you can feel more at peace with being a long-distance senior caregiver.

For more about specific technologies that can help you manage long distance caregiving, read this post. https://maryleemacdonald.org/tech-tips-for-helping-seniors-from-a-distance/

Benefits of Aging in Place

December 20, 2019 by Max Gottlieb

As seniors age, they and their families are faced with the difficult question of how to provide the best care. The necessary level of care depends on the situation, but aging in place is becoming more feasible due to a combination of factors. There are constant medical advancements, people are living healthier lifestyles, and people are retiring later, leaving them financially able to make the choice. Sometimes all it takes to age in place is finding a caregiver you can trust.

woodworker in home shop — Seniors with professional skills, such as this furniture restorer, will be much more content if they can remain in close proximity to their tools.

Familiarity

The most obvious benefit of aging in place is familiarity with one’s surroundings. Familiarity may not seem like a big deal, but aging in a familiar place can alleviate depression and disorientation that sometimes occurs in assisted living communities. Also, if you have the means for you or a loved one to age in place, you can avoid the dreaded argument that frequently occurs when parents are too stubborn to leave their home. It removes the tension that occurs when older people think moving them is a sign of pushing them away.

Keeping a Routine

Studies show that people remain healthy, both physically and emotionally, by keeping with a routine. A routine can be anything from housekeeping to yard work or simply seeing neighbors and cooking. These are all forms of physical and mental exercise that patients do not receive in institutional settings. Doing small things to keep active can help reduce what is known as aging atrophy, eventually leading to a complete dependence on others. This is not to say that it’s harmful to depend on others for certain activities of daily living. Oftentimes, a loved one or a professional caregiver can help someone maintain a healthy routine.

Safety and Health

By aging in place, seniors can control their environments. They are not forced to acclimate to an environment controlled by others. The house can be as clean as they like and they are able to decide which visitors they want to see. At facilities, residents are forced to see health care professionals, other residents, and the families of other residents. Also, a major fear, when living in close quarters with other people, is the spreading of sickness or disease and this is alleviated by remaining independent.

What Kinds of Resources Are Available?

As mentioned, sometimes people need caregivers to age in place. Caregivers are able to offer a variety of services, including: homemaking, personal care, meal preparation, and medication management just to name a few. If bathing or maintaining personal hygiene becomes troublesome, a part time caregiver can help. Or perhaps housework, laundry, or grocery shopping have become problem areas. Some grocery and drugstores offer delivery services, but if not, a caregiver can help with these things as well. Depending upon the type of services needed, there are different types of caregivers available with different job titles.

If a caregiver is needed and a loved one cannot step into that role, it is best to talk to an agency or a care manager. A care manager is trained to plan, organize, monitor, and deliver services to an elderly person. They can be immensely useful. Likewise, it could be useful to look into wearing a PERS device or medical alert. Aging can be a time of navigating new terrain, but aging in place can hopefully eliminate some pressure.

Helping Seniors Maintain Their Independence

September 13, 2018 by Lydia Chan

When someone you love lives far away, it can be frustrating to try and help them from afar. Seniors, especially, often need assistance with household chores or staying mobile. They may not have a relative who lives close enough to help out. Not only can this add to their stress and anxiety, it can lead to accidents, falls, and injuries. That’s especially the case when they attempt to take care of everything themselves. In fact, falls are one of the most common causes of injury for seniors. In some cases those injuries can be life-threatening.

hand — Caregivers, even ones living at a distance, can set up support services to help seniors maintain their independence. Photo via Pixabay by BeeJees

Fortunately, there are several things you can do to help your senior loved one, even if you live in a different state. You can hire help to come and take care of chores (like cutting the grass or cleaning). And, you can teach your loved one how to use apps that will make their life easier. A side benefit is that apps can connect the two of you, thereby lessening your worry.

Keep reading for more info on how to get started.

Find the Right Apps

There are tons of apps available that are specifically made for seniors. Whether your loved one needs help remembering when to take medication or where they parked the car, or you just want to be able to see each other when you’re talking on the phone, there are a lot of great options out there. The key is to help your loved one find the right ones for their needs and make sure they’re internet-savvy enough to understand them. For more on apps read this article.

Hire Some Help

One of the most dangerous and overlooked jobs a senior has is taking care of the lawn, yet many seniors take pride in the way their yard looks and want it to be well cared for. One way around this is to hire someone local to come over and help out so they don’t have to spend time in the heat or use heavy, dangerous machinery. The cost of this service varies across the country; go here to find out the national average and to look up price ranges in your loved one’s area.

Help Them Find a Ride

Many seniors find that after a certain age, they don’t feel comfortable driving themselves, either because of vision problems or because their motor skills aren’t what they used to be. You can help out by looking for a senior ride service–many senior homes and hospitals offer them–in their area that will provide a safe ride to the doctor or grocery store.

Make Sure Their Home Is Safe

Many seniors struggle with home safety after their mobility has been compromised by an illness or injury. If seniors have been hospitalized, you can often ask for an occupational therapist to evaluate the home’s safety. An occupational therapist might recommend tossing the throw rugs, reducing clutter, or rearranging furniture. These measures can be especially helpful if a hospital stay has made your loved one more fragile than they were previously.

An occupational therapist may also recommend that you hire someone to install grab bars in the shower. Make sure you buy non-slip rubber mats for the bathroom and kitchen. These are the areas that most seniors fall most often.

You can also have a home security system installed that transmits a live feed to your smartphone. That way you can keep an eye on things even when you’re far away.

Helping your senior loved one from out-of-state doesn’t have to be stressful. With some good planning and a little research, you can ensure that the senior in your life is happy, healthy, and safe. Use technology to your advantage as much as possible and help your loved one become comfortable using it as well.

Aging-in-Place Can Work if Caregivers Make Home Safety a Priority

May 10, 2018 by Lydia Chan

As many people age, they find it harder and harder to live on their own, but aging-in-place is a viable option if caregivers pay attention to safety. Many seniors end up in assisted living communities or nursing homes where they have to trade their independence for security. The majority of seniors don’t want to do this. They would prefer living among their memories and in their familiar environment. However, the issue is safety. To keep parents where they’re happiest, caregivers may need to make some simple modifications around the house. These modifications don’t have to cost a lot of money. The goal is to provide your loved ones with a safer living space.

natural light from window helps seniors aging-in-place — Preventing falls is critical for senior intent on aging-in-place. Besides eliminating the obvious hazards, such as throw rugs, caregivers should make sure the home has plenty of light, both day and night.

Aging-in-Place Means Checking the Home for Hazards

The most important thing to take into consideration when preparing a senior’s home for aging-in-place is fall prevention. Falls are a terrible hazard for older people. In fact, they are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries for seniors in the United States. One in every four Americans aged 65 or older falls each year, and that number is only expected to increase as the population ages.

There are many reasons seniors are so susceptible to falling. As we age, our balance and coordination begin to deteriorate, making simple actions and movements more treacherous. We also start to lose our vision and flexibility. Furthermore, some seniors have to take medications that cause dizziness. In hot climates dehydration poses a falling risk. Occasionally, interactions between an elderly couple can lead one or both to fall. While it might be safer in the long run to have elderly parents move into your home, that’s not always an option.

We can’t stop the effects of aging, but we can make changes in a senior’s environment to create a more hospitable and secure home. Angie’s List suggests, “Make a point when visiting to observe how Mom or Dad gets around the house. Input from the doctor and other health care professionals may give you insight on your parents’ abilities and areas of difficulty.” Occupational therapists, who are trained to adapt living spaces to the needs of residents, are great people to have on your team. Ask your physician for a referral. Beyond that, the following are just some of the modifications we suggest you make.

Lighting

As mentioned above, age can do quite a number on a person’s eyesight. One of the most important renovations you can do for a senior loved one is to add light. Natural light is a great option because it doesn’t cost extra on the electric bill. Furthermore, natural light can help regulate a senior’s biorhythms, sleep, and overall health. If their home is in need of more sunlight, consider enlarging existing windows or adding new ones. Skylights are also a great way to take advantage of natural light within the house.

Of course, the sun isn’t up all day. You will also need to add lamps and other sources of synthetic light if they are expected to get around the house safely at night. You may find it beneficial to put motion sensor lights throughout the home so they don’t have to fiddle with switches or pulls when they need illumination. Talk with your senior loved one about which options sound best to them.

Stair Safety

Even if your parent doesn’t use a wheelchair, they may benefit from safety ramps placed over their steps. Stairs can be quite dangerous to navigate. For seniors of advanced age, hand-eye coordination and balance deteriorate. One wrong step can mean a major fall and the injuries that come with it. Installing safety ramps over steps–be they just a few steps or a whole staircase leading to another floor– can help seniors get around the house safely.

Bathroom

Slick tiles and moisture create a prime environment for slip-and-falls. Installing grab bars along the bathroom walls can help a senior get in and out of a tub or shower safely. Bathtubs can be especially tricky. Add non-slip decals along the tub’s bottom. Decals are a cheap and easy way to improve friction for aging feet. If the home has a walk-in shower, consider installing a shower seat as well as a handheld shower-head so seniors can safely bathe while seated.

What Caregivers Can Do to Help

While most people would prefer aging-in-place to downsizing and moving to a senior living community, the average home is not equipped for a senior’s safety. Preventing falls by making simple home modifications can help make aging-in-place possible. Adding light, putting ramps over stairs, and reducing hazards in the bathroom are just a few of the ways you can help seniors prepare their home for the challenges aging presents.