As your parents get older, it can be difficult to watch on. You see them begin to experience difficulty when completing everyday tasks, and you know that it’s time to step up. However, before you let them move into your home, there are certain modifications you should carry out.
These modifications will make life in your home a lot easier to navigate; they will be a lot safer, too. This can ensure they are in the best environment to receive sufficient care, whether that’s from you or a professional service.
In fact, pairing efficient home modifications with reputable home care, like that provided by Visiting Angels Kennewick – Best Senior Home Care in Pasco, can ensure your loved one is as comfortable and as independent as they can be at this stage in life, no matter what care they need. Home care professionals can complete the jobs you and your home adjustments cannot.
So, to ensure your elderly parent stays comfortable in your home, you must complete these three home modifications before opening your home to them.
Why Home Modifications Is Necessary For Elder Parents?
As our parents grow older, we need to care extra. Remember, they were the one guiding and caring for us.
Now, it becomes our responsibility to provide the same level of love and support. And, the best way is to to making certains changes in home, in order to ensure their safety, comfort, and well-being.
When we talk about home modifications for elderly parents, it’s not just about hiring a care taker and making some basic changes. It’s more about creating a changing where they can become independent as possible, while simultaneously reducing the various associated risks that come with aging.
When you modify your home for elderly care, it’s not just about adding a grab bar or a non-slip rug. We need to go a step ahead.
3 Home Modifications For Elder Parents
In this section, we’ll learn three key modifications that you must do in your home to make it safer, more comfortable space for your elder parent.
1. Adapting the Bathroom
One of the most dangerous rooms in the house for elderly individuals is the bathroom. With water and soap, it’s unfortunately the perfect place for falls and slips to take place.
The best way to prevent this from happening is to adapt the bathroom to be a safer room. You can do this by having a new bathroom fitted, with an easy-to-access bath and other accessibility aids, or converting it into a wet room.
However, fitting a completely new bathroom or converting the room into a wet room can be costly and time-consuming, not to mention it can make the room inaccessible for weeks at a time. Instead, you could adapt your existing bathroom to ensure no incidents take place.
This can include installing support rails in the bath or shower and beside the toilet seat to help your parent stand up or steady themselves. You might also want to place non-slip mats on the floor and inside the shower.
Some other modifications to include in your bathroom are purchasing a shower seat, removing all tripping hazards, and setting up a handheld shower head.
2. Installing Handrails
As seniors frequently develop devastating joint conditions like osteoarthritis, which is the most common form of arthritis amongst the elderly, this can make it difficult or sore to move around.
Although the symptoms of some joint conditions can be managed, the individual’s house should also be modified to ensure increased independence and safety. This is when handrails should be fitted.
Handrails can provide an effective support system around the house. They can assist people as they move around the house, make standing up easier, and prevent falls.
If your parent suffers from dizziness caused by a health condition, these handrails could also give them peace of mind during a dizzy spell.
Similarly, if there are stairs in your home, you might want to install handrails specifically designed for this part of the house. If your elderly parent has had a stroke or is paralyzed in some way, a stairlift might be a preferable option.
3. Investing in Technology
There are smart home technology that can be used to make homes safer for the elderly and allow them to live more independently. This might require a little bit of investment, but it is definitely worth it for the end result.
For example, a personal alarm device allows your parent to get help if they fall or have another issue at home.
These items can be carried, particularly on the wrist, or clipped on to clothing. When an incident occurs, the individual presses the button and a call or signal is put through to an emergency team, which is available 24/7, or the person’s carer. This alert prompts action to check on the individual either in-person or by phonecall.
More telecare and technological equipment can be utilized when caring for an elderly parent. This includes emergency alarms, such as fire and smoke detectors, movement sensors, and so on.
By completing the three adjustments mentioned in this article, you house will be better prepared to care for elderly relatives. Even with limited space, it is possible to adapt your living arrangements to suit your loved one.
Conclusion
In the end, caring for an elderly parent is not just about meeting their basic needs but also about creating a space that makes them feel independent, comfort, and dignity as possible.
The home modifications we’ve discussed in this post are adapting the bathroom, installing handrails, and investing in technology – are the first steps in that process.
They may seem like small changes, but their impact can be solid enough to get started. These adjustments provide safety, prevent accidents, and ultimately give you and your parent a peace of mind.
But, remember, it’s important that these are just necessaity modification, there is room for more modifiations. It’s important to assess your parent’s specific requirements before making changes.
What works for someone else may not work for your parents, so take the time to make thoughtful decisions.
