A natural fact about aging is that the whole body ages, not just parts of it. So, while your loved one may feel like he’s still doing well enough physically to perform a lot of the chores he’s always done around his home, his body just may not be up to the task anymore, and doing those chores can put him in physical harm. If your loved one has a health issue that makes daily living chores too difficult, having someone provide live-in home care services for your loved one can help him stay in his home while providing the safety he deserves.
Common Chores That Often Provide the Greatest Risk of Injury
While any type of activity can lead to injury, these are some main areas that could put your senior at risk of injuring himself.
Yard care. Mowing, shoveling, weeding, and trimming all require a considerable amount of physical activity, often coupled with a decent amount of arm and back strength. Too much of any of them can add a lot of stress on the heart as well.
Home projects. If your loved one owns his own home, some home projects become dangerous as he ages. Anything that requires a ladder to be climbed can lead to serious injury or death. Fixing items around the home like plumbing or doors and windows can become too difficult to manage anymore as dexterity and strength have decreased with age.
Using power tools. Your loved one may struggle to hold one properly if he has arthritis or weakness in his arm, making it dangerous to use one.
Pet care. Washing a big dog that doesn’t want to stay in the tub can result in getting knocked over and breaking a bone or bumping his head. Even lifting a 50-lb bag of kitty litter to refill the box can throw out a back.
Cooking. Preparing food properly can protect your loved one from food-borne bacteria. If he struggles cognitively with proper food care, it could be dangerous.
It’s up to you and your loved one to determine what is still safe for your loved one to do and what isn’t. The key is to continue to have him do the things he can so that he can still feel useful and independent while taking some of the more difficult chores off his plate and giving them to someone else to help with.
Getting Help Around the Home
Ask friends and family to step up. For smaller chores that don’t need to be done often or are annual (such as cleaning leaves out of the gutters), you might do just fine to have a family member come to the home to do it for your loved one.
Ask neighbors to help. Outside chores like shoveling or mowing the lawn could be taken care of by a neighbor youth who wants to earn a little cash or the next-door neighbor who loves to use his snowblower.
Hire Live-In Home Care for daily chores. Live-in home care can help with cooking if the kitchen has become too dangerous or with any other home chore that has become too strenuous for your loved one, like vacuuming or washing a load of laundry.
It’s always better to prevent an injury rather than learn from it. Talk to your elderly loved one about getting some assistance from live-in home care around his home so he can keep living at home safely.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Live-In Home Care Services near Easton CT, please call and talk to our friendly and dedicated staff. (203) 744-8380
Home Care Advantage provides quality Non-Medical Home Care for seniors and families in Danbury, Bethel, Easton, Newtown, Redding, Ridgefield, Southbury, Weston, Westport, Wilton, and surrounding areas.
With over 25 years of healthcare experience working with seniors, our model and approach to non-medical home care services are straightforward, providing you with the compassionate care you deserve. Providing care from the heart is what we are all about; we proactively work with you and your family to develop a care plan designed to meet your specific need for assistance and budget.
In addition to having an extensive work background in healthcare, my recent educational experience allowed me to earn my Doctorate Degree in public healthcare. This achievement enhanced my knowledge of the ever-evolving healthcare delivery system and heightened my awareness that you cannot go it alone to get the best outcome. Additionally, I have seen how some of my family members struggled and were overwhelmed with ensuring that their parents were safe and their needs were met. They did not know who to trust or where to turn for reliable and affordable help. I have made it our mission to be part of the solution allowing seniors to remain independent and be treated with the respect they deserve.
We are committed to providing excellent care for our clients, just as we would care for members of our own families. Please be assured that I will use my knowledge and background to protect and be a trusted resource for seniors and their families.
You can be confident that our caregivers are carefully screened, dependable, and selectively chosen to meet the specific needs of our clients. They are experienced and highly trained to provide excellent quality care and follow a strict professional code of conduct and ethics.
Our caregivers are competitively paid directly by our agency; there is no additional charge to you. Home Care Advantage files Social Security/Medicare, Federal and State Withholding Tax, and Unemployment Insurance for our employees. Workers’ compensation insurance and a fidelity bond cover the caregivers and supervisory staff.
Our caregivers are here for you and will work hard to assist you with your specific needs in the comfort of your own home. It is said that “Home is where the heart is.” Let Home Care Advantage provide care that will enrich your life and help you maintain an independent lifestyle in the comfort of your own home, “where you want to be.” Call us now! We look forward to working with you and your family.
Dr. Beverly J. Ruekberg, DHP, MPH, MA, Ed.
President/Geriatric Care Manager
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