Sometimes a senior citizen’s 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.
Questions about everyday equipment
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 blog 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.
Looking around the home
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.
Discussing individual needs
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 270-869-2344, or write to 1 Homeplace Boulevard, Henderson, KY 42420.
Explore current information
For today’s options, explore care and safety at Homeplace or plan a visit with our team.
Looking at equipment in a senior community
We’ll talk about many aspects of safety in later blog posts, but this week we’re looking at the equipment at senior communities. Like we mentioned in last week’s blog about safety in the home, bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen are three high-traffic areas and the equipment in each place needs to be evaluated. The equipment should suit your loved one’s needs, which should be communicated to the staff of an elder care facility. In turn, you need to know that the facility has safety measures in place to take care of your loved one while also having an able staff who can determine needs as your loved one ages.
Let’s look at some examples. Maybe your loved one has trouble taking a shower. Look for bathroom equipment that will allow your loved one to safely get in and out of the shower. And look for chairs with arm rests. Your loved one will need to be able to stand up from a chair. As a senior’s balance diminishes, falls often occur. Check that walkways aren’t obstructed; blocked pathways are major causes of senior citizens’ falling. Also look closely at the carpets and floor coverings. Longer carpets and rugs can cause a senior citizen to trip. And lighting, like we mentioned in last week’s blog, is a concern. Your loved one may be getting up at all hours, and her vision may not be perfect, so having well-lighted pathways is very important.
For another family perspective, read about starting a conversation with your loved one.