Many seniors want to stay in their homes and age in place. Yet, their loved ones often do not know how to help an elderly loved one stay in their home.
Luckily, there are 9 care steps that can be followed to understand the situation and make a plan for how you can work together to help your loved one stay in their home.
1. Communicate
It is important to communicate with your elderly loved one. You need to understand what is important to them and their plans for getting older. Do they want to age in place? Are they willing to accept help to be able to stay in their home?
When talking to your elderly loved one, it is important to treat them with respect, be patient, recognize their autonomy, listen to their concerns and feelings, and go into the conversation with a team mentality.
Learn more about How to Talk to Elderly Parents About Accepting Help.
2. Assess the situation
Take the time to review their health, the care they need, and their finances.
Health issues
Compile a list of their medical professionals (such as doctors and therapists), their health issues (such as any diagnoses, vision or hearing issues, and other symptoms), and their medications.
Care needed
What can they manage on their own, and what do they need help with?
Evaluate if they can perform their activities of daily living (ADLs):
- Eating
- Moving around
- Going to the bathroom
- Bathing
- Grooming
- Dressing
Also, look at if they can do the tasks required to live on their own (their instrument activities of daily living), such as:
- Shopping
- Medication compliance
- Preparing food
- Housekeeping and laundry
- Transportation
You can use our Activities of Daily Living Checklist to assess what tasks they need help with.
It is important to understand the level of care they need so you can look realistically at what you and other family members can provide and what professional services they need.
Finances
It is also important to assess their financial situation to know if they can afford to stay in their own and/or get care.
Look into savings, retirement, insurance coverage, and government assistance. Don’t forget to look into the types of assistance that the government offers for family caregivers.
3. Consider the care you can provide
It is also important for you to assess your situation as well. How much care can you handle?
Be realistic about what you can do.
There are many different tasks that you may be able to help with.
Transportation
You can take your loved one to appointments, run errands, or socialize.
Errands
You can also run their errands on your own, such as going grocery shopping or getting their prescriptions.
Meals
You can help your elderly loved one meal prep and cook. If this is too difficult for them, you could make them meals they can easily reheat.
Housekeeping
You can also help with chores around their house, such as cleaning and laundry.
Check medication compliance
Help them understand their medication dosage and timing, and set up a system so they can stay on top of taking their medication.
Personal care
If you are able to be around more frequently and be a more hands-on caregiver, you could provide personal care to help them with their activities of daily living (ADLs).
You can help them with going to the bathroom (or managing any incontinence issues), bathing, grooming, and getting dressed.
4. Understand services
Apart from the care that you can provide, there are several other care providers available for seniors wanting to stay in their own homes, such as:
- Family and friend caregivers—talk to your family and social network to see what other people are able to do to help
- Respite care—when a professional caregiver provides a break for other caregivers by temporarily taking over responsibilities
- Adult day programs— centers offer a safe place for seniors to go during business hours on weekdays to socialize or participate in activities
- Home health care—at-home medical assistance by a health care provider, such as a nurse or occupational therapist
- Home care—non-medical personal care, such as helping seniors with the activities of daily living, transportation, meal prep, and companionship care
Learn more about the Different Types of Elder Care Services.
5. Ensure home safety
Regardless of what type of care seniors need, all seniors need to live in a safe home free from fall hazards.
Some things you can do to ensure home safety include:
- Removing clutter from walkways
- Keeping the stairs clear and in good condition
- Securing rugs and floorboards
- Removing or taping down cords
- Having adequate lighting
- Getting a walk-in shower and non-slip bath mats
- Keeping items they use within easy reach (without having to bend or reach)
Their home must also meet their accessibility needs. Ensure they have mobility equipment they need, such as walkers, canes, stairlifts, ramps, or toilet seat risers.
You could also consider purchasing safety devices, such as an emergency alert system or a home security system.
Check out our guide on How to Prevent Falls in Seniors and the CDC’s safety checklist.
6. Encourage an active lifestyle
Another way to help your loved one’s health, and therefore help them stay at home, is to encourage an active lifestyle.
People need to be physically, mentally, and socially active.
Encourage them to be physically active—exercise with them or recommend an exercise class or physical therapist.
You can help them be mentally active by playing games with them (especially memory games such as Chess or Sudoku).
It is also important they remain socially active so they don’t become socially isolated. Encourage them to see friends and family, join groups, or volunteer to maintain emotional connections.
7. Stay in close contact
Staying in close contact with your loved one not only helps them stay social and provides emotional support but also helps you regularly check in on their health.
It is important to keep an eye out for signs that they need more help. Plans for care need to be reviewed and updated as needed.
8. Practice self-care
A lot of advice for taking care of your loved one has been given, but it is important to not forget to take care of yourself too!
Prioritize self-care to help protect your mental and physical health and to prevent caregiver burnout.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
9. Plan for the future
While it is wonderful to help an elderly loved one stay in their home, you also need to be realistic and devise a plan for when it is no longer possible for them to live independently.
Is live-in care realistic? Could they move in with a loved one? Would moving to a residential facility be preferred?
Talk to your loved one now (when they are in good health and can make a plan) so you have a plan for an emergency.
Get home care to help an elderly loved one stay in their home
Pacific Angels Home Care can help seniors in the Monterey, Santa Cruz, and Aptos areas to stay in their homes and age in place.
Our kind caregivers provide personal care to help people with their activities of daily living, such as moving around, going to the bathroom, bathing, and grooming.
They can also help them run errands, meal prep, provide safe transportation, and ensure medication compliance.
Our services are tailored to each individual’s needs and can be used for daily care, respite care, or for care in an emergency.
Call us today at (831) 708-2876 or reach us online to learn more about how we can help your loved one stay in their home.
