If you have an elderly parent living on their own, it can be pretty scary knowing all of the risks that are out there. However, there are some good strategies for protecting an elderly parent, even someone who is suffering from physical or mental health problems, while still allowing them to live independently. Let’s take a look at six great ways that you can protect your elderly parent or other elderly relatives.
Mobile Phones
Making sure that they have a mobile phone is key. While most people do have one these days, there are some elderly parents who still use the home phone and are not comfortable with a mobile phone. This is particularly true when they see children and grandkids using complicated smartphones that they may not understand. However, there are some very simple easy to use mobile phones out there marketed to elderly people, and you should convince them of the virtues of having one.
Burglar Alarms
Make sure that your elderly parent has burglar alarms, smoke alarms and other protective devices in the house and that they are connected to some sort of monitoring system. These are recommended for every household, but they are especially important for elderly parents who may not be able to get around as well as younger people.
Regular Check-ins
Making sure that you do regular check-ins with your elderly parents is important. Having you call them or them call you on a regular schedule lets you know when something might be wrong. If you have made an agreement to call each other at least once per day, and you are not able to get through to them, it could signal a problem, and you might be in time to prevent it from becoming worse. For added peace of mind, it could be worth looking into home care services that can provide qualified care staff to protect and support your parents. Home care allows individuals to maintain their independence, whilst also reassuring you of their safety. Home care also offers personalized care tailored to the unique needs of each individual, so you will not have to worry about your parents struggling when you aren’t around. You can go online and type in what you are looking for, e.g. “home care agency near me in Philadelphia“, or wherever they are based, so that you can feel rest assured that they are not alone.
Lifts & Bath Doors
Another extremely useful tool when it comes to taking care of elderly parents is a stair lift. If they live in a two-story home and have a hard time getting upstairs, this is a recipe for disaster. Although stair lifts can be expensive, they may be covered by insurance in some cases. Another really useful tool for elderly folks is a bath set up that allows them to open a door and walk through instead of climbing over the tub and a stool to sit on while they bathe.
Real Talk
One of the most important things that you can do to protect an elderly parent is to have real talk with them. That means letting them know of the dangers that they could face as an elderly person and make sure that they are able to live independently. Let them know that you’re worried about them and that you want to take steps to ensure that they live as long as possible. If you have real talk with them, then you will get less resistance trying to implement the items on this list.
Medical Alert Bracelets
The last thing that we will discuss is a medical alert bracelet. You can find well reputed ones by doing an online search for Life Alert Canada (or amend the search to your region) which will bring up some popular and easy to use ones for your loved one to wear. Some models even include fall detection, which can be a massively valuable feature! Medical alert bracelets are extremely useful when it comes to ensuring the safety of an elderly person. That’s because they are able to call for help, even if they are unable to get to a phone. In addition, medical personnel that treat them will have all of their medical histories already available to them, which could save your parents’ lives.
You definitely want to read reviews before buying and choose a medical alert bracelet carefully, but they can be one of the best tools to ensure peace of mind when it comes to an elderly parent.
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