One of the hardest decisions we may face during our lifetime is whether to help our family members remain in their home or to consider the move into an assisted living home. In some cases assisted living may be necessary and unavoidable.
However, there are a few options that may help delay the move to assisted living and should not be overlooked. Here are 4 simple changes that you can make that may make it possible for someone to stay in their home independently.
Exercise
A necessary condition for delaying assisted living is to be healthy. Of course, elderly people need to be aware of their changing limits, but appropriate exercise can be a major factor in keeping them happy and living healthy in their home. Gentle walks might be the most common recommendation here, and it’s the perfect activity to enjoy with your family.
Remove Clutter
Having fewer things around the house will mean less dust, less cleaning, more space, and a big decrease in the probability of accidents. The key thing to achieve this is to simplify, and removing clutter will help a lot.
How can you help here?
Make sure all walk ways are clear and there are no unnecessary items on the floor. Clear off counters to lessen the likelihood of something being knocked off. After this, sort through anything that needs to thrown away or sold. Selling or donating any extra furniture or items can be both a fun and productive way of reducing clutter.
Adapting Your Home
Together with removing clutter, changing a few key features in your home can reduce risks and increase confidence in the elderly. Here is a short list of things you might want to consider when retrofitting your home.
Providing Or Improving Access To Rooms
By installing a stair lift, widening doorways and installing ramps to avoid using steps you can help your loved one gain access to areas of their own home that may not have been possible before.
Changing Door Knobs
The UltraLatch door knob made by SOSS is a very comfortable fully ADA compliant and easy to use door handle. In fact, the UltraLatch allows its user to open doors with only half an inch of movement, benefiting anyone with limited hand movement or special needs.
Changing Things To Proper Heights
We all know using adjustable beds or chairs are of great benefit. However you can also adjust the heights of light switches, door handles, and electrical outlets making them more accessible.
Learning a New Skill
Studies show that we need to use our brain, to delay losing some of our mental capabilities. There is a wide range of skills that you can learn, from learning a new language to how to use a smartphone.
Ideally, it should involve some physical movement or change in environment. This can simply be trying a different walking path at new park. Whatever changes you can help your loved one make will help delay assisted living and increase their quality of life.