Top Safety Tips To Consider When Caring For An Ageing Parent

Last Updated on September 14th, 2022

One of the most challenging realizations for any child is the acceptance of parental mortality. As we grow from unknowing children to adults, it becomes more evident that our parents will need us to care for them in age, just as they cared for us. And while it’s often heartbreaking to realize that our parents won’t live forever, the cycle of life rolls on regardless. Taking care of ageing parents is really important and requires extra efforts.

Unfortunately, there’s no way to reverse the hands of time. However, you can provide a safe and comfortable environment for your senior parents.

Because live-in care facilities for seniors are typically quite pricey and hardly provide residents with a comfortable quality of life, more seniors are choosing to stay with their adult children in their golden years. And thanks to the development of relevant technology, senior care has become more accessible.

So, if you are currently facing the honor and responsibility of caring for your senior parents, we’ve listed some fundamental safety tips. These safety tips will help you create a safe environment for your parents.

Invest In Medical Alert Devices

Caring for a senior parent at home is more affordable than forking out a small fortune for the ongoing costs of a retirement home. But even so, you will still have some additional costs.

Medical devices like wearable tech and voice-activated wall buttons are the latest senior care tech developments. With these devices, patient vitals are typically monitored. If there is a spike or drop, the technology will automatically note the change and alert medical services and patient carers.

As you can imagine, these devices are life-saving when it comes to caring for a senior parent. Because seniors are increasingly fragile, anything can happen at any time. For example, a severe slip and fall can happen when you’re not around, and the device will not just alert you of the incident but also alert medical response teams, potentially saving the life of your parent. Moreover, the technology can detect various medical emergencies, not just slips and falls.

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That said, there are quite a few medical alert service devices out there, so it’s best to compare the best available options.

Install Home Monitoring

Home monitoring can be included in your choice of medical alert system, although you can also enhance patient care and your peace of mind by installing additional home monitoring. Even if you have a monitoring system in place for home security purposes, keep in mind that this system is designed to detect home intrusions rather than help you keep an eye on your senior parents.

The latest senior monitoring is designed with thermal monitoring, sound monitoring, and, of course, visual monitoring. These combined elements are fundamental in standard patient care.

Consider Live-In Care

Live-in care is a practical solution when your parents’ health needs exceed your capabilities. For example, if your parents require assistance to bathe, eat, and move around, yet you cannot assist due to work and personal life responsibilities, it’s best to consider live-in care.

Thanks to progress notes, you can still be integral in the care of your loved one, and stay up to date with their care, treatment, and the progress they are making, even if you can not be there 24/7. When it comes to the care provided, strategies used and your parents goals progress notes work as both a record and a communication tool, allowing you to see what care and support has been provided at the end of each shift.

Live-in care is more affordable than the costs of a retirement home, and the benefits include a higher quality of life and a reduced risk of depression.

Mitigate The Risk Of Slips And Falls

Slips and falls are a prevalent concern among the elderly. For young individuals, a slip and fall is often a minor accident. Unfortunately, a slip and fall accident can lead to catastrophic injury for an aging and fragile senior.

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Even though you cannot remove this risk entirely, you can lower the chances by installing non-slip flooring pads around your home. Place non-slip floor mats in critical points around your home, such as the kitchen, bathroom, hallways, and near steps.

Install Railings

Railings are another installation that can manage injury risks for your parents. What’s more, these are affordable, and you can install them yourself.

The best places to install railing are in the bathroom for enhanced accessibility, near the bed, and near stairs. Install them in key points where your parents can use the bars for extra support.

Make The Bathroom More Accessible

Some bathroom modifications can transform the overall accessibility and help your parents hold onto their independence a while longer. For example, a walk-in bathtub or shower enables disabled individuals to bathe without assistance, which would not otherwise be possible.

A walk-in bathtub or shower is an excellent investment when caring for aging parents. And when it comes to the toilet, a railing or two is all that’s necessary. Moreover, remember to add non-slip flooring to cover the entire floor space, as bathrooms pose the most prominent injury risks in terms of slips and falls.

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Secure Entrance And Exit Points

Another concern for many when caring for aging parents is the onset of specific conditions associated with age; dementia and Alzheimer’s mention a couple of prevalent concerns. Unfortunately, seniors can wander out of their homes and forget who they are with these conditions. The symptoms of such conditions are heartbreaking for family members, and the care challenges can often be overwhelming.

However, there are ways to safeguard parents with these and other age-related conditions. Securing the entrance and exit points of the home is vital. Moreover, add monitoring and sensors to these points and research suitable alarm systems that can then be installed. With this level of safety in place, you can rest assured that your parents are safe.

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With tech innovations emerging, AI is revolutionizing senior care in several ways. Things like wearable, home assistants, and better monitoring solutions are now available. As a result, it’s now a practical solution to care for your aging loved ones at home. With innovative tech providing a safe and secure environment, a lot of stress and uncertainty is removed from the responsibility of taking care of your parents when they are no longer able to do so for themselves.

That said, once you have secured your home, it’s worthwhile to evaluate health insurance for seniors. As healthcare costs keep rising, this type of insurance is the best way to avoid medical emergencies from causing financial distress.

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Dr. Amanda

Amanda is a certified nutritionist and fitness yoga trainer, and writer in the areas of health, fitness and nutrition.