After having made the decision to move your elderly parent or other close family member into your own home, either on a temporary basis while they recover from an operation or for the long term, there are certain adjustments it would be prudent to make.
With that being said, here is a concise guide to adapting your abode before your elderly loved one moves into the family home.
Security & Ease Upon Entry
Instead of having to wait for you or another member of your household to answer the door every time the doorbell rings, you could instead consider installing a door-entry intercom system.
This way, not only can you wire a ringer into the room of your elderly relative to ensure they hear when someone is at the door, but they will be able to press a button and ascertain who is at the door before answering.
A Safer & More Relaxing Bathroom
Out of all the rooms in your home, for people with a reduced level of mobility or who struggle with balance when standing and walking, the bathroom can be the space with the most potential hazards.
To counteract this, you could consider replacing your current toilet and cistern with a hands-free system and installing a bath system that is battery-powered to lower and raise to suit the individual.
A Practical & Uncluttered Kitchen
When considering the potential changes you could make in the kitchen, this will naturally centre around whether or not you intend to carry on doing the cooking yourself and if your loved one is in a position to prepare, cook and serve meals.
In the latter case, you could consider adding a perching stool that fits adjacent to the worktop, a safety tipper on the kettle to avoid painful burns, and wide-handled knives and forks. In addition, a kitchen trolley with essentials could also be a great way of affording your loved one independence in making food and drinks.
Prominent and prestigious care homes, like Morris Care, will be more than willing to answer any questions or queries you have when looking to make smaller or more drastic changes to your kitchen to accommodate an elderly relative.
Sight & Hearing Issues
Finally, for those house guests who are visually impaired, a simple colour-coding system with different tapes in potentially dangerous areas, such as the edge of the stairs or the path to the front door, could be a welcome addition.
There are several companies and agencies that can offer free advice on how to cater for someone with sight problems and may also sell special kits and systems to ensure your loved one can move around the home safely.
Should your elderly relative have issues with their hearing, make sure you upgrade your current smoke alarms to wireless alternatives, which not only trigger the alarm on each unit at the same time but also vibrate to attract attention.
