A parent moving in with you can be very stressful, hard to accommodate, and truthfully, sometimes it can be an unwanted burden. If the responsibility of caring for your elderly parents has fallen upon you, however, it is important to remember that they look after you in your youth, and so, it is only right that you look after them in their old age. Looking after an aging parent is not going to be easy, we know, which is why we have written this article to help you to prepare.
Yes, as you may have guessed, in this article we are going to tell you how you can prepare your home for when an aged parent moves in. Preparation is fundamentally important, lest you do not accommodate them properly and they find the arrangement uncomfortable, which is something you want to avoid.
Here is how to prepare your home for when an aged parent moves in.
Home Lifts
If your home is more than one-storey, you will need to install a lift for your elderly parent (assuming that they have mobility problems or that they do not have a room set-up downstairs). Home lifts can safeguard your parents and ensure that they do not fall down the stairs. The stairs present a real problem to an elderly person and are often the catalyst for severe injuries. You should, according to the lift specialists from https://www.stiltzlifts.co.za/stiltz-trio-home-lift/, install a lift that accommodates for wheelchairs, so that your parents, if they are wheelchair bound, are able to get around without switching from chair to crutches. Give a home lift some serious thought.
Panic Alarms
You cannot guarantee that you will always be at home for your parents. Monitoring and supervising your parents in every waking moment is, to be honest, completely unrealistic, and borderline impossible. In your absence, however, you need to ensure that there are safeguarding measures introduced to protect your parents. One such way is a panic alarm. These alarms, essentially, are easily accessed (sometimes by voice), and your parents can press them or activate the alarm if they are in danger, which will notify you, the police, and the ambulance services.
Safety Rails
If your parents can walk, and can ascend a staircase, it is important for you to install safety rails for them. These rails, which are expertly designed for elderly people, can be installed on your staircase, and in other areas of your home, such as the bathroom, where they would be more likely to fall over. Safety rails are, in our opinion, a great innovation and a fantastic way to ensure that your elderly parents do not hurt themselves when they are making their way around your home.
Non-Slip Flooring
Non-slip flooring is another fantastic way for you to look after your elderly parents when they are at home alone. Non-slip flooring, which is cheap and easy to install, can be introduced in virtually every single room where there is flooring that your parents could slip on. If you do not want to install non-slip flooring in every room (which is understandable), then you might want to install a non-slip rug, especially in the bathroom and in your shower, where your parent is statistically far more likely to become injured. Getting in and out of the bath can also become a struggle, so you should take care of this issue with the help of a shower chair.
Voice Boxes
If your parents are not mobile, you may want to introduce voice boxes into your home. These boxes, which can be quite expensive, we admit, will allow you to communicate with your parents, even if you are out of the home. You can simply, through the box, begin speaking, and they can respond. You could, to save money, just buy them a mobile phone and teach them how to use it. Voice boxes may seem a bit Orwellian, but they can definitely be a great addition to your home and can protect your parents from hurting themselves.
Nurse
A live-in nurse could be a great addition to your home, instead of you having to personally nurse your parents. If you have the money, then yes, we believe this is the best option for you. It will save you a lot of time and allow you to still focus on your own life, rather than having to worry about your parents all of the time, which can be very draining. A nurse is a great addition to your home, and we think you will benefit from it massively if your parents are coming to stay with you or live with you.
Looking after your parents in their old age is a very respectable, and in our opinion, charitable thing to do. You are not forced into looking after them, as they were you, but instead, out of the goodness of your heart, you have chosen to, which is a great thing to do, and you should be proud of yourself. Thank you for reading our article today and good luck.
