Sometimes a senior citizens’ balance begins to become a bit unsteady. Many times, their eyesight worsens. Or, the power in their muscles begins to fade. Quite simply, they’re not as quick or spry as they used to be. It happens to all of us. That’s why it’s so important for them to have safe equipment as they move from an active and independent person to a senior citizen who may need a little more help.
As a family member of your loved one, you need to evaluate the equipment at your senior’s home. Is it sturdy? Does it allow your loved one to move safely within his home? Can your loved one use the equipment to easily get out of bed? To clean himself? To cook for himself?
From the questions just mentioned, you can probably see that for a senior citizen who ages in place, certain high-traffic areas need to be made safe for him: the bedroom, the bathrooms, and the kitchen. Other areas are also important, but your loved one will be completing most of his physical activities in these high-traffic areas.
Like we’ve mentioned in several other blogs posts, it’s best to have discussions as early as possible with your loved one to determine what he needs so that he can accomplish his daily tasks. It will be easier to communicate about the different types of equipment he may want, the operation of equipment, and/or the intricacies of adjusting a piece of equipment. You may also want to consult a trained professional to understand the best options and most suitable equipment for your loved one. Furthermore, if your elder loved one will be receiving assistance from a caregiver, you need to ensure that the person you’ve hired knows how to use and adjust the different pieces of equipment.
Here are some questions to ask about a senior’s home:
- Is the home adequately lighted so that a senior can get up at night to go to the bathroom or kitchen?
- Is equipment in place to allow your loved one to easily get in and out of bed?
- To easily get in and out of the bath or shower?
- To easily use the bathroom?
- To cook? This includes smoke or other alarms to alert him if he forgets to turn off the stove or oven.
- Does the home have stairways? Has it become too difficult for your loved one to use them?
All these questions must be answered adequately as your senior ages in place, and there could be more, depending on the needs of your loved one. The answers to these questions will clue you as to what equipment you’ll need to install for your loved one.
There are so many different products; it would be difficult to name them all. But whatever your senior needs, there’s probably a product to help.
Slippery bathtub? You can buy grip tape for the tub bottom.
Difficulty standing from the toilet? Raised toilet seats.
Need more security getting in and out of the shower? Grab bars that connect to the walls of a shower, or that lock to the bathtub frame. There are also seats to easily transfer a senior in and out of the shower.
Communicating clearly with your loved one about his needs is the first step. The next step is shopping around and speaking with professionals to find the products that suit your senior. It’ll take some time and effort, but it’s worth it.
To contact the Homeplace of Henderson, email Jessica Beaven at jessica.beaven@homeplaceofhenderson.com, call at (270) 577-0534, or write to 1 Homeplace Boulevard, Henderson, KY 42420.