Noticing that your parents are aging and starting to struggle with everyday tasks can be upsetting. Sometimes they can become less able over a long period, or, the deterioration in their health can happen fast. While it is distressing to think of your parents finding life tough, there are lots of ways you can help make life easier for them.
See Life From Their Perspective
Life moves pretty fast, you may be an empty nester now yourself, and may also be still trying to adjust to a home that’s not full of the hustle and bustle of kids running around. Each life stage requires a time of adjustment and a period of settling in. The teenage years are an example of this, as is becoming a parent for the first time. Likewise, for your parents, it may feel like only yesterday that they were fit and active, so having constant aches and pains, or mobility issues may come as a shock to them.
It can be hard to understand how it feels not to be able to do things that you always could in the past but try to picture yourself in their shoes. Thinking about the situation from your elderly parents’ perspective will make it easier for you to empathize with them and find ways to help them out.
Home Adaptations
If your parents are keen to stay living in their own home, then you may want to find ways to make this easier for them. Living in their own home will help them to stay independent. Nowadays, there are some fantastic solutions that make homes far more accessible. Items such as walk-in bathtubs, shower seats, stairlifts, and specialist Aged Care Furniture will help them to live comfortably in their own home for longer.
Try to keep areas such as hallways clear of clutter, so that they can easily move around their home without the risk of tripping over. You may also consider hiring a senior care helper a few times a week to help with basic chores, preparing meals, and personal care.
Stay on the Move
If your parent has mobility issues, it can be harder for them to get out and about and stay active. Not being able to go out may leave them feeling isolated. It can help to look into mobility aids which will give them the independence to keep on going out and getting some fresh air, even if it’s just for a short amount of time each day.
Making short trips out together for a family meal or even to go to the supermarket is a great way to keep your elderly parent from feeling isolated by their mobility issues.
Look Into Supports
At a certain point, making life easier for your elderly parents might be beyond you. You could need extra help, which means looking into support and other aid. CDPAP, home help aid, and similar options can all be great for this and are more than worth looking into.
If you’ve gotten to the point where you can’t look after your parents by yourself anymore, then they’re worth considering. They could have much more of an impact on your parents’ lives than you’d think.
Easy Meals
Finding the strength to cook a meal can be exhausting if your loved one is frail. When cooking is too much effort, they may merely decide to skip a cooked meal altogether. To stay in the best possible health, your parent must get all the nutrients that they need. You may want to consider batch-cooking meals for their freezer so that they can heat them without the hassle of preparing their dinner from scratch.
What is a quick and easy recipe you like to make?
Noticing that your parents are not only aging but also experiencing difficulties because they are aging can be frightening, saddening, and challenging. Thanks for sharing!