The 3 Best Ways To Help An Elderly Relative Age In Place

If you have a relative or loved one that is getting up there in years, there will come a time when they are going to need a little bit of help. Sometimes the help is as simple as somebody helping them to remember to take their medication on time. For others, the care may be much more intense and even be something like a full-time job.

If you have somebody that relies on you for their care no matter how big or small, it is up to you to figure out the best way to make sure that they get it. It is going to be challenging if you are not prepared so having a game plan will go a long way to alleviate some of the pressure you are likely to face.

Luckily, there are a lot of products that are going to help you since many of them are specifically designed for seniors and their caretakers. In this article, we will go over several ways that you can help your elderly loved one age in place.

1 – Get them a medical alert system
The best medical alert system is going to provide you and your loved one with a lot of peace of mind. This is because if they were to fall or be immobilized when you aren't there, they will get immediate help when an alert is sent to the local emergency services. You will also get an alert so you can respond quickly and assess the situation.

They are now much more sophisticated than they were in the past. The older generation required the user to be coherent enough to push a button for help. If they were to hit their head then they wouldn’t be conscious to press the button. The same could happen if they were to fall in such a way that they were unable to reach the button. In either case, it could happen that they become ineffective.

These days, they use AI to help understand when there is a problem if the person is not able to press the button.

Some of them can detect a fall. If the user falls and the device picks it up, the alert will be made automatically if the button isn’t pushed in a certain amount of time. Having them equipped with one of these devices should be the first order of business.

2 – Order an adjustable bed
Falls are a big risk when your loved one is having mobility issues. Getting out of bed is something that they have trouble with since they have to exert themselves. This is why they often fall out of bed and injure themselves.

An adjustable bed similar to the ones found in hospitals is going to help them get in and out of bed without assistance. If they are frail to the point that they aren’t even able to get out of bed themselves then it will assist you in easing them out of bed without having to lift them to do so.

Since they can lift the head of the bed up, they are able to swing their legs over the side of the bed and stand up without much effort. If they have problems such as edema or swelling of the legs, then they can alleviate this by keeping their legs elevated with the push of a button.

3 – Modify the house
Mobility is likely to be one of the biggest issues that your loved one will face. Getting around the house can be a serious challenge. It is a good idea to make some modifications to allow them to get around without too much interference.

The first thing to do is move furniture away from flow areas such as in between rooms so there is a clear path to get from one to another. Make sure that there is plenty of space between the furniture, as well.

The bathroom is another area that needs a lot of modifications. For example, a bidet toilet combo is a great thing to have since it allows the person to clean up and maintain hygiene without needing to use their hands. Since twisting around could lead to them falling off of the toilet, this is an ideal solution.

The bathtub will also need to go in its current form. It should be replaced with one that can be walked into and has a built-in seat for safety. They are specially designed for elderly people with mobility issues and allow them the ability to wash. If you do need to help them this also makes it easier on yourself.