Common Concerns for Elderly People Staying at Home

If being able to stay at home is important to you as you grow older, then there will no doubt be quite a few concerns that you have about safety, getting around, and other daily life activities. However, as long as you plan in advance, there is no reason why you should not be able to grow old at home. Here, we are taking you through some of our resolutions to common concerns many people have about growing old at home.

Getting Around
One of the main concerns that many people have about whether the home they are currently in will be suitable for them in their old age is simply getting around it. If you are already having trouble walking, you can always invest in either a walker or an electric chair or scooter. There are also services out there that will help you get around outside of your home town, for example, if you need someone to go with you to the doctor or to go shopping with you. You may also want to look into what public transportation is near your home if you no longer drive a car or won’t be able to in the future.

Activities and Social Life
For many older people, they can quickly become lonely at home, especially when living alone. It is a good idea to check out any local community centres to see what range of activities they have to offer as this is a great way to meet new people and hopefully develop some new friendships too. If it is too hard for you to leave your home, then you can always look into volunteer organizations who are able to stop by or call a few times a week to keep you company or discuss any problems that you may be facing.

Safety
When living at home as an elderly person, one of the biggest concerns that many people have is the safety aspect. Not every neighbourhood will be the best and so some elderly people may be scared of crime, physical abuse or even losing money because of a scam. Another common concern for those who live alone is becoming sick and not having anyone around to help. An emergency alert system can help with this and all you need to do is push a special button that you wear and an emergency medical personnel will be called.

Housing
When it comes to your actual home, there are a few changes that you can make which will make things easier and safer to live in. This can include putting a ramp at the front door and installing a stairlift if you struggle to get up the stairs, fitting non-skid flooring, and adding more comfortable door handles to turn. The bathroom is always the biggest challenge to adapt and make suitable for an elderly person and you will need to change things such as adding grab bars in your bath or shower. To make life easier for you, there’s a recent article by Mobility Plus that details the many different options available to you with your bathroom.

Daytime Help
If you live with someone else but they are not always around to take care of you, for example if they are out working, then you may need some help from others. There are services that will send someone to your home during the day to help you with any daily tasks that you may need to do.

This is a guest blog entry.