Having senior parents is a strange place in life to reach ,it can be somewhat unnerving to acknowledge your parents need more help and that the people who used to help you now need help themselves to carry on living their lives.
But the thing is, you want what’s best for them. And if they want to remain living independently what exactly can you do to support this while ensuring they are safe in their living environment?
It’s not hard. If this is the path you’re looking at, let’s take a look at some ways you can support your senior parents for independent living.
Sort The Space Out
Firstly, you need to take a walk through their home and look for things you would not normally have noticed. You need to look for slip-and-trip hazards in the home—is that rug going to cause problems? Can they safely walk across the laminate flooring, or is it going to increase the fall risk? So you need to address lighting issues.
Fixing most of these issues isn’t usually expensive, changing lightbulbs for brighter ones, using rug grips to keep rugs flat or adding them to slippery flooring are all easy fixes. Add in grab bars by toilets and showers, non-slip mats in bathrooms or rearranging furniture to remove extra trip points and suddenly their home is much safer for them than it was without major changes.
Make Moving Easier
Next you need to look at how you make it easier for them to physically move around. Mobility isn’t just about exercise classes, it’s about keeping motion going. – standing sitting, walking, turning, it’s the little things that help keep people independent.
Walking sticks, footstools, and chairs with firm arms that they can lean on to get up, all of which help in strategic areas. Furniture risers can also be useful for them—you place the small blocks under furniture on a lift so they’re not too low to use.
Tech That Helps
Smart tech can be a lifesaver if they need help or support for any reason. Things like fall sensors and alert devices fall into this group. Life Assure fall detection devices can sense a sudden drop or stillness and send for help on their own – no phone, no shouting, no waiting.
Add a few motion sensor lights to the hallways or bathroom to increase visibility at night without looking for light switches. Use smart plugs to shut off things like irons or kettles, for example, so nothing gets left on accidentally. Door sensors give a quick ping if something’s been left open, too, increasing security further.
Change The Small Things
Swapping out door handles, heavy kettles, taps that need to be twisted can all help too. It’s the little things that often make life harder and can be overlooked so paying attention to these areas can highlight things that might not be working for your parents anymore. Lever taps, lightweight pans, pull down shelves, shower seats etc all make life easier and support seniors or those with reduced mobility to live alone for as long as possible.