Growing up, you see your parents navigate adult life and think of them as invincible. They provide you with a loving and safe environment and living necessities. They find quick solutions for problems that overwhelm you and help you move past a wide range of challenges concerning school, friends, love interests, health and not only. But as you become an adult, your parents gradually lose that aura of strength and infallibility.
One of the most difficult aspects of being an adult is to notice the extent to which ageing can affect your elderly parents. As time goes by, the decline in physical and mental strength becomes evident. The changes can be quite dramatic. How to care for your elderly parents and help them maintain a good quality of life? Read on to find a few ideas that will make life easier for everyone.
Make Home Modifications to Keep Up with Their Needs
Even healthy elders have a problem doing things like reading small fonts, climbing stairs or lifting heavy items. The more serious health issues your elderly parents have, the more likely is that their ability to do basic activities will gradually suffer. In this case, there are many home adjustments you can make so they won’t feel a dramatic change in their quality of life.
What can you do? It can be something as simple as removing excess furniture so they can move freely in the house without bumping into something. But it can be a more complexadjustment like installing an electric stairlift or a ceiling lift that assists with the needs of the elderly who have suffered a partial or total loss of mobility. You can widen doors for a wheelchair or walker access. You can also reconfigure the house so all the essential rooms are on the first floor, or just closer to each other.
Purchase Tech Tools Specially Designed for Elders
Although technology might pose challenges to your elderly parents, it’s worth investing time and money to ensure that they can use some tech tools with ease. For example, you can purchase a special smartphone for seniors which has a bigger screen, longer-lasting battery and much easier accessibility than an average smartphone. The simpler it is for your parents to contact you, the less stressed you’ll feel about not seeing them for a while.
The tech industry has developed key gadgets for seniors to make daily life routines easier and safer for them. A big button TV remote, a liquid-level indicator that sounds an alert when a cup is full to avoid spilling or a pill organizer with built-in clock and alarm can make a world of difference to an elderly parent who struggles with basic activities. Remember that it’s also important for your parents to stay connected to the world outside their homes, so a senior-specific table for video calling, sharing photos or reading the news can help them feel less loneliness at home. Being in a good mental state is crucial when coping with declining physical health.
Caring for your elderly parents requires keen attention to the details of their daily routine so you can immediately determine what they most struggle with. With the right tools, you help them maintain their sense of independence and contentment.
