Are you worried about your elderly parent’s safety all the time? Do you think they could be at risk of falling and you cannot be around them to take care of them 24/7? I’ve been through a similar phase in my youth, and I understand how frustrating it can get to manage an elderly’s safety and ensure nothing happens to them while performing your day-to-day job and college/university. The good news is, you can make their life safer in five fool-proof ways and gain mental peace. How? Let me explain.
- Make the Living Space Safe:
You should start by focusing on all the significant changes their living space is going to need when you take up the job of caregiving. Start by merely decluttering the area and organizing everything in a way that keeps them from falling. There mustn’t be any tangled electronic cords spread around the living room, instead tuck them behind the furniture or tape to the floor. Install a smoke and carbon monoxide detector in the home. Choose electric stoves; I find them safer than gas stoves. And install staircase railings to hold onto because stairs are often the primary venue of falling.
- Make the Bathroom Safe:
It is almost as important as making the rest of your house “fall-free” (maybe a little more), so start finding the equipment you’re going to need. To begin with, install some grab-on bars wherever you think they’re going to need it such as above the bathtub or alongside the shower. You can have these installed near the toilet as well. If your elderly is too old, consider installing a seat that has arm-rests. Place anti-skid mats inside and outside the bathtub.
- Get Them a Cell phone:
Everyone these days should have a cell-phone, not the kids of course but seniors need it as much as the rest of us do, maybe more. Cell phones were initially devised to make communication at the spur of moment possible, and that is why elderly should have one of the times of emergency. So, get them a cell phone and teach them how to use it. Save all the significant number of their phones so that they may contact you, their doctor, the fire brigade or whomsoever they need to reach.
- Medications:
Did you know how often people die or suffer from severe ailments and nervous breakdowns because of wrong medications? Elderly can be forgetful about the dosage and timings of medications. They can, and in fact, they do overdose most of the time. To avoid that, set a timer for their medicine and tell them to take their medications as labeled at the prescribed time. If you’re home and you can look after it yourself it is even better.
- Give Them Time:
You would be surprised to see how many problems you can avoid if you pay attention to the elderly and sit and talk to them. Watch out for the signs of mental ailments and notice the way they respond to your questions. Keep them from getting nostalgic and sad.
Follow these simple tips to avoid your elderly from falling sick, so that they stay healthy and happy!
Author Bio:
This article was written by Chris Palmer who regularly shares advice on elderly care. In particular dementia and supporting your elderly parent.
You can find more by Chris on https://www.agespace.org/.