As our loved ones age, it can become necessary to have them move in with us, either for their safety or our peace of mind. While this arrangement can be beneficial for everyone involved, it can also take some getting used to. Here are some tips and tricks that may help make life easier for your elderly relatives if they’re living with you.
Minimize Clutter and Install Handrails
One way to make life easier is by minimizing the clutter in your home. This will help ensure that there are no tripping hazards around your elderly relative’s living area, as well as reduce confusion and cognitive stress caused by too much visual input. Additionally, installing handrails throughout the house is a great way to make sure that your relative has a safe and secure grip when moving around the house. Make sure the handrails are securely mounted into walls or surfaces so they don’t come loose over time.
Make Accessibility a Priority
Another key element of making life easier for elderly family members is ensuring that their home is as accessible as possible. This includes installing ramps or lifts to help them navigate stairs, widening doorways where necessary, providing grab bars in bathrooms and showers, helping them to and from their mobility scooters, and ensuring that walkways are free from clutter or trip hazards. Also consider installing special lighting or motion sensors so that they can easily find their way around the house at night or when they wake up in the middle of the night.
Create a Supportive Environment
The most important thing you can do to help an elderly relative living in your home is to create a supportive environment. This means creating physical and emotional space for them so that they feel valued and respected. Make sure their needs are met in terms of food, shelter, clothing, and medical supplies, but also take the time to listen to their stories and show interest in their lives. Showing genuine care and concern will go a long way towards making them feel welcome and appreciated.
Give Them Their Own Space
Giving your elderly relative their own space is another important factor in making them feel comfortable and secure living with you. This could take the form of a designated bedroom or area of the house where they can retreat to and be alone when needed. It’s also important to provide plenty of storage and organizational systems so that they can keep track of their belongings and find things easily. This will reduce stress levels and make life a little easier for everyone in the household.
Help With Daily Tasks
You can make life much easier on an elderly relative by helping out with daily tasks. This could include keeping up with laundry, running errands, or even just doing simple chores around the house. Even if you can’t take on all of their responsibilities, having someone to help out with some of them will make a world of difference for them.
Reduce Technology Stress
Technology can be extremely useful—from talking to family members who live far away, to ordering groceries online—but it can also be incredibly stressful for older people who aren’t used to using computers or smartphones. To make things easier on them, try simplifying the technology in their lives by setting up simple-to-use interfaces such as large icons on a touchscreen device or one-touch buttons on a remote control. This way, they won’t have to worry about navigating complex menus or having difficulty seeing small text on a screen.
Set Up Smart Home Automation
Smart home automation systems are becoming increasingly popular these days because they allow users to automate basic daily tasks such as turning off lights or adjusting the thermostat with just one click of a button. For elderly relatives living with you, this technology can be especially helpful since it eliminates the need for manual labor such as reaching up high or bending down low to adjust devices around the house. Smart home automation systems are easy to set up and use, so even those who don’t consider themselves technologically savvy should be able to understand how they work with minimal fuss!
Living with an elderly relative is a great experience that comes with its own set of challenges; however, with a few simple solutions like decluttering your home environment, reducing technology stress and setting up smart home automation systems you’ll find that making life easier for them is simpler than you might think! With these tips in mind, you’ll find that living together becomes easier every day as both parties adjust and learn what works best for them.
Written by: Dixie Somers
Dixie Somers is a freelance writer who loves to write for business, health, and women’s interests. She lives in Arizona with her husband and three beautiful daughters. You can find her on Twitter and Facebook.
