Written by Mike Price, OT
With the vast Baby Boomer generation becoming seniors, the US population of people 65 and over is larger today than ever before. About 15 percent of Americans are currently 65 or older, with this number expected to jump to 24 percent by 2060. As more of our parents reach this age, planning ahead becomes crucial in determining how they are going to continue to survive and thrive in their older ages.
As an adult child of an elderly parent, you may have noticed some signs that your mom or dad is starting to have some challenges with performing the usual activities of daily living. Also known as ADLs, these activities describe the basic self-care tasks we all need to do on a daily basis. They include personal hygiene tasks, such as brushing teeth, combing hair, applying lotions, and showering and bathing, along with toileting, dressing, preparing food, and self-feeding.
Functional mobility is another aspect of ADLs, defined as the ability to move from one place to another. It includes the capability to transfer from a prone position in bed or from a sitting position in a chair to a standing position, and being able to safely ambulate from one room to another.
As people age, they can often start to experience more weakness, and responses may become slower. The wear and tear on joints and structural tissues from time and use starts to take its toll, causing more inflammation and pain within the body. Body systems and organs begin to slow in their function, and cognitive abilities may start to decline. Your aging parents may not see and hear as well as they used to, or be able to participate in activities they had enjoyed for years.
Fortunately, there are a number of ways you can help your parents with aging safely and gracefully, enabling them to age in place at home and remain as independent as possible. With the wide variety of specific tools and helpful tips we share in this article, you’ll be able to incorporate exactly what your aging parent needs to keep them safe and comfortable in their own home.
Although anyone can fall, the risk rises dramatically as people age. Often related to declining function, increasing age, cognitive impairment, medication use, and sensory deficits, falls are the primary cause of accidental deaths in people over 65 years of age, and are also the reason for than 90 percent of hip fractures.
In order to reduce this fall risk, you must first address the home environment, and remove any potential tripping hazards, such as throw rugs, damaged thresholds, electrical wires, broken floor sections, and any other objects, such as stacks of magazines, toys, and other clutter that your parent could potentially get tangled up with as they move through the house. It’s also important to create wide, clear pathways for ambulation, clearing out unnecessary furniture, tables, and equipment from every room and hallway.
Make sure all areas of your home are adequately lit, and make sure you take advantage of supportive tools and fall prevention devices to help maintain safety, especially for the elderly and others with disabilities who are at a higher risk. It’s also advised to make sure your aging parent is assessed by a healthcare professional to ascertain their unique level of risk, which will help in determining their specific care plan to prevent falls.
Available in a wide range of styles, sizes, and shapes, grab bars are a must-have for seniors. They provide stable support, and help people more easily maneuver, sit down, and stand up in all areas of the home, but especially the bathroom, tub, and shower.
Grab bars should also be installed wherever extra support is needed. They can be placed in the kitchen, other parts of the bathroom, near a bed or chair, in doorways, and along stairways. They give the user something secure to grab if they’re unbalanced or start to fall, while they also help people to pull themselves up from a sitting or prone position.
Assistive rails, handles, and poles help people to get up and down safely from a bed, chair, sofa, or car/vehicle. These assistive devices help users to remain as independent as possible, providing the support they need to stay safe as they move around their home environment.
In addition to challenges with mobility and balance, people often need to take increasing amounts of medications as they age. Unfortunately, due to decreased memory and trouble consistently taking these medications at the same time every day, elderly people are also at a high risk of over or under-medicating themselves.
To help keep your loved one on track, pill organizers and alarms can be a great solution by allowing them to sort and organize their daily medications for each day of the week. This way, they won't double-medicate, and it will be easier to remember to take their pills each day.
Alarms can also be a convenient way to help remind someone that they need to take their medication at the same time every day. These can be set to automatically recur each day at the same time, if your parent has a smartphone, or if they don't, you can also purchase alarms specifically designed for this purpose.
Described as an assistive device that helps users to accomplish activities of daily living, daily living aids help seniors to remain independent and live in their own home for as long as possible. They include gadgets, devices, and equipment that have specifically been designed to help people with cooking, eating, toileting, bathing, grooming, dressing and more.
Determining your parent’s unique needs, and exactly what they need some help with, will help you figure out what kinds of daily living aids would be most assistive. If they have stopped engaging with activities they used to enjoy, or have trouble with daily tasks they need to accomplish, there is a solution to help them regain that ability.
If you have a parent who is starting to experience some aging-related challenges with their capability to perform activities of daily living, there are a number of ways you can help them age in place in their own home, and stay safe, secure, and independent for years to come.
Assessing the home for fall risks and removing them, along with incorporating a range of specific assistive and adaptive devices, gadgets, and equipment will help reduce the frustration daily living activities can cause for elderly people, and minimize the risks of accidents and injuries.
For more information about caregiving, aging in place, and other healthcare-related tips, be sure to check out the rest of our helpful articles on Caregiver University. And, if you're ready to compare products or make a purchase that will help improve your home and family's safety, come view our full catalog on Rehabmart.com.
Co-Founder of Rehabmart and an Occupational Therapist since 1993. Mike has spent his professional career working in multiple areas of Occupational Therapy, including pediatrics, geriatrics, hand therapy, ergonomics and inpatient / outpatient rehabilitation. Mike enjoys writing articles that help people solve complex therapeutic problems and make better product choices.
