Making the decision for your elderly parent (or indeed parents) to move into your family home, provided the support required can be carried out, is one of the best ways to ensure they are happy and well cared for.
Often, however, a bustling family home has a myriad of hazards that could cause any kind of issue and, furthermore, it can be hard to spot them yourself. Continue reading to learn how to adapt your home when your older parent moves in with you.
Ascertain the Level of Care They Need
It may well be that, aside from accessibility and mobility concerns, your elderly parent is absolutely as independent as they can be. In this fortunate case, certainly now and for the foreseeable future, you and the rest of your household need only concentrate on making them feel comfortable and happy as they settle in.
It is important, however, to identify whether there are indeed any care needs they may have, perhaps help with dressing, managing their medication, or even their finances. It would also be a good idea to tactfully reassess these care needs on a regular basis to ensure that you are doing everything you can for them as they get older.
Home Modifications
Naturally, if your parent is a wheelchair user, or struggles with getting around, you should also consider making changes to the different rooms within your home.
Perhaps the most important of rooms, for reasons of dignity and frequency, is the bathroom. When it comes to your bathroom, renowned suppliers can supply sturdy and subtly designed grab rails for the shower and bath, as well as structural additions to toilets and bathroom sinks. Mobility bathrooms provide the space to take care of matters pertaining to hygiene and health in a safe and comfortable environment.
Other home modifications for your older parent should they have issues with mobility include:
- Flooring Modifications
- Hoyer Lifts
- Ramps
- Widening Doorways
- Medical Alert Systems
- Smart Home Devices
- Assistive Seating
Remember You Are Now an Adult!
Sometimes, when an elderly parent moves in with their child, the parent-child dynamic that existed previously can start to appear again, but it is important to avoid defaulting to this.
Even though a close and loving relationship with your parent, whereby you share news, fears, jokes and memories is entirely natural, remember that you yourself are now an adult, and so you do not need to seek approval or ask for permission like you used to.
Consult Professionals
As well as asking for the advice of suppliers who specifically concentrate on home adaptations for people with a lower level of mobility, it is also important to speak to other professionals, such as your loved one’s doctor, should you have any concerns moving forward. Fundamentally, this is because a person’s circumstance can change both over a long period of time, and quite abruptly. Reflecting on this sentiment, if at any point you are feeling stressed and overwhelmed with your new living situation, do not hesitate to ask for help yourself.
