Seniors Care At Home: 10 tips on Taking Care of Seniors Living At Home
Seniors care at home requires more than medication, help and attention. Elderly care is composed of a more holistic approach considering their mental, emotional, physical, social, and spiritual needs. Keeping these things in mind, here are the 10 tips that can help take care of seniors living at home:
- Help them be involved in the decisions surrounding their care as much as possible
You have to ensure that they are involved in the decision making for their care. Ask them what their do’s and don’ts are and their likes and dislikes. This will help them feel liberated and important.
2. Make them busy with activities
Staying at home can be boring for all people, and this includes seniors living at home. Make sure to give them some activities they can do like gardening, painting, or even crossword puzzles. This makes them busy, kills the time and stimulates their mind.
3. Include them in socially distant gatherings or give them a call
Social gatherings might be difficult because of the current situation but make sure that they get enough social interaction they need. Keep in mind that isolation can cause emotional distress. Social interaction is an effective tool to have effective seniors care at home.
4. Have emergency numbers handy
Always keep emergency numbers in a commonplace for seniors living at home. Elderly care emergency numbers include 911, immediate family member, poison control number, physician, or the senior’s health care provider. Make sure that it’s readable and in a size that they can see. If your parents own a cellular phone, observe how they are making a call. You may get them a more basic phone if there’s a difficulty or teach them how to make voice commands when they need to dial emergency numbers. Make sure to assign speed dial contacts.
5. Reduce fall risks at home
Make sure to remove fall hazards for seniors care at home. Seniors can trip and slip easily so remove the rugs. Make sure doorways, hallways and pavements are clear of any obstruction. Clear up any loose items like shoes, loose wires, or newspapers on the floor. Make sure they are wearing non-slip socks or shoes when inside the house. Throw or store away unnecessary furniture and keep only the most basic ones.
6. Check the bedroom and see if they require special medical equipment
Ask them if they want a softer or firmer mattress. Seniors care at home is always changing and it includes an ongoing asking and checking. Check how they get up from the bed. You might need to install bar handles for them to hold on to when getting out of bed.
7. Door knobs to door lever
Replace the doorknobs with door levers. Seniors can lose a grip sometimes so it is better to get a door lever at home so they can open the door easier.
8. Check the home for fire safety
Most seniors living at home like to have a scented candle at home. But this should be avoided as this can cause a fire when left unattended or forgotten. You may replace the scented candles with an essential oil diffuser. You may also replace the gas range with an electric stove. Teach them about the stop drop and roll technique when they are caught in a fire. Don’t forget to install smoke detectors and if possible, water sprinklers.
9. Check the home lighting
Always check the home lighting if it can help seniors see, especially any pathways. This will help to lessen trips and falls. Make sure all the room is well-lighted. You may install motion detection lighting especially for seniors who always forget where the light switch is.
10. Never stop learning
As the primary caregiver, always keep up to date with techniques and new tools on how to help seniors care at home. Do research often or contact professional home care agency to get more information on how to take care of the elderly. This will help you give a more effective and efficient approach that will benefit both of you.
With Smile Home Care, we offer a free consultation to assess the needs of your loved one and provide you with the best recommendation for affordable respite care to suit your budget and your loved one’s needs. We understand the importance of deciding how much care you need, so we offer the ultimate flexibility so that you can set up respite care for an hour, a few hours or even a few days.
Smile Home Care provides senior care at home in Ottawa for seniors and families looking for a help with personal care, nursing care or caregiver relief. Give us a call today at 613.603.8998 or book a free assessment for your complimentary consultation with one of our care leaders! We look forward to providing you with care to smile about.
Smile Home Care offers home care in Ottawa with your personal Smile caregiver or a nurse! We are committed to professional caregiving to ensure our client families receive safe, skilled, professional support with the highest level of quality home care. We believe that it takes a special person to be a caregiver, and we value and appreciate our Smile Caregivers in providing exceptional and compassionate care. You can also learn more about our care services by clicking here. Follow us on Facebook to learn more about our events and promotional offers by clicking here Smile Home Care.