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If you’re concerned about the safety and well-being of your aging parents or a loved one, then it may be time for you to step in, assess their needs and figure out the options to make their lives a lot easier.

It could be assistance needed for their everyday activities, taking care of their medical needs, organizing their meals, taking care of their in-home safety, paying bills, etc.

Today, with the technological advancements and availability of a wide range of home modifications, caregiving and other services, there are many options available to help the elderly to improve their lives and live it best at home. Here are 5 ways in which you can help your elders and improve their quality of life.

Assess and Determine Your Elder’s Needs

The care of an elder can be quite overwhelming, especially when you’re unsure about what to do. It is a good idea to consider your elder’s physical and mental condition and determine how much help they require with their day-to-day life.

Consider the key areas such as mobility, meals, medical needs, home safety, family support, personal hygiene, cognitive health and social interaction. Determine how much help they have in each category and how much help do they need to be healthy and safe.

Ensuring Home Safety

If your elders live alone at home, then you may be worried about their safety at home, especially if they have mobility issues. Over time, the safety hazards can add up in your home, which may cause the elderly to trip, fall and injure themselves. 

So, making arrangements to prevent falls can help to keep the seniors independent and safe for longer, such as:

• Adding stair railings in your home, grab bars in all bathrooms, stair climbers and ramps.
• Making sure that all the appliances at home are in working condition and are easily accessible.
• Ensuring that the floors and walkways are free of rugs, wires and other clutter.
• Replacing the lights so that all the rooms are brightly illuminated and the electrical switches are accessible easily.
• Installing anti-slip surfaces on floors, bathrooms, stairs and other areas of the home.

Easy Communication

Another important way to ensure that your elderly parent is safe is enabling them to be in touch with their friends and family and call for help in case of any emergency. So, ensure that they have a simple and accessible means of communication with others.

Make sure that they have an easy-to-use phone or a simple mobile phone with important numbers pre-programmed close by. You could encourage your parent to use a wearable medical alert device, which can be extremely handy in case of any medical or other emergencies.

Assistance with Errands and Chores

If you live far away or in another city and are unable to not able to attend to your elder parents’ needs or help with their day-to-day chores, then you could consider organizing meal and grocery deliveries, hiring a cook to prepare meals, getting a driver to drive them for their errands and doctor’s appointments, subscribing to services like Silverbills to pay the bills and employing a caregiver to help around the home and ensure that they are taking their medicines on time.

Exploring Aging Care Options

Sometimes the responsibility of caring for an elder may be overwhelming, especially if you live far away. However, thankfully today, there are several resources that you can consider, such as:

• Assisted living communities and senior housing options
• Geriatric care managers
• Geriatric doctors (geriatricians)
• In-home caregivers
• Area agency

So, if you have an elderly parent(s) or loved one(s) who live alone and need assistance to carry out their day-to-day errands and chores, there are several ways and means by which you can organize their lives and help to make it a lot easier, safer, stress-free and happier.