Keeping Your Home Safe for Elderly Parents

Boston has a lot of baby boomers who live by themselves or with their children in the area. If you have an elderly parent or parents who are aging in place at home, it is important to know what precautions to take to keep their living environment in safe and healthy condition.

Ensure The Home Is Free From Odor

As we age, our senses become less sharp. It can be difficult for elderly people to detect odor or temperature changes at home. As a result, should there be mold, lots of dust or a gas leak, they are not likely to detect it. This is not a problem if your parents live with you, but if your parents live alone, it is a good idea to hire in home care aides a few hours a week to check in the general well being of your parents.

Home care aides are able to identify strange smells, leaks, or other things that seem odd in your parents’ home, as well as take action on these problems. For example, they may notice a smell that indicates a propane leak, which can quickly become a safety issue if not addressed by a propane provider. They can also help to ensure the home is clean and clear of dust, which can worsen health and breathing problems common in elderly people. While prescriptions and over-the-counter medications can help manage these problems, keeping their space free of allergens is also an important part of addressing potential allergic reactions.

Prevent Slips and Falls

It is common for elderly people to have trouble walking and be prone to slips and falls. Falls can have serious consequences for elderly people. A study published in The Journal of Trauma: Injury, Infection, and Critical Care, found that older adults were three times as likely to die following a low-level fall compared to individuals younger than 70.

Even if your parents live with you, there are times when they will be on their own, like in their rooms, in the bathroom, and when you may not be at home. Therefore, it is important to remove potential fall hazards. For example, avoid using extension cords or long electrical cords that could be tripped over, invest in storage systems to reduce the amount of clutter on the floor, and ensure that loose dirty laundry is contained in hampers and washed regularly. A few simple baskets could help tremendously in preventing your parents from slipping on cords, laundry, or sheets.

Install Safety Equipment

Seemingly easy tasks like showering or using the restroom can be a struggle for elderly people. Equipment like shower grab bars, raised toilet seats, and shower seats can help people continue to complete basic hygiene tasks independently as they age by preventing slips and falls and making it easier to perform each step of the process. Whether your elderly parents are living alone or with you, they’re likely still going to be in the bathroom alone. Extra precautions can keep tasks like showering safe and accessible for elderly people.

Safe and Accessible Homes

Elderly people prefer to age at home, the place that they are familiar with and love. However, we need to ensure that it is safe for them to do so. These precautions help to ensure that home is safe and accessible for your elderly parents, and they can live independently while avoiding any accidents.

Home and Family blog provides tips for family fun and home improvement ideas in Boston. Check it out for family activity ideas and more tips for maintaining your home.

Ate Too Much During Thanksgiving Celebrations? Here’s What to Do

The average American eats a whopping 3,000 calories and 150 grams of fat on Thanksgiving — and that’s not even counting seconds.

Besides all the cleanup and extra laundry and dry cleaning you need to do, perhaps you find yourself getting a bit too stuffed after Thanksgiving celebrations every year as well. This time around, you want to be prepared. Specifically, you want to know how to make yourself feel better quickly if you’ve eaten too much.

We’ve got you covered for Thanksgiving 2021 and beyond. Unbuckle your belt and read on for our best tips to get yourself back on track post-feast.

Roasted turkey garnished with cranberries on a rustic style table decoraded with pumpkins, gourds, asparagus, brussel sprouts, baked vegetables, pie, flowers, and candles.

1. Hydrate

We’re not encouraging you to grab a filling pint of beer or a sugary cocktail after Thanksgiving dinner. Instead, if you’re feeling overly stuffed, you should try and sip as much water as you can.

Water can ward off constipation, and it can help reduce bloating faster. Just be sure not to drink too much at once, as chugging water while you’re stuffed will only add to that feeling. Sip slowly and often instead.

2. Skip the Snooze

Some people need prescriptions to help them sleep. For them, a post-Thanksgiving dinner nap might be a welcome part of the day.

However, that shut-eye after your meal could be stalling your digestion. Try and stay awake for at least one to two hours after you eat to keep things moving and relieve your discomfort sooner.

3. Get Moving

If you’re feeling like you have enough energy to do more than just stay awake, head outside for an after-dinner walk. A little bit of movement can stoke digestion, and it can help balance out blood glucose levels, too.

That might feel a bit ambitious for you after such a big meal, and that’s okay. Try getting up and going through a full-body stretch. Even something that gentle can have the same positive effects on your post-Thanksgiving state. If you have an elderly loved one, take him/her out on a walk to share some quality time together. It’s better than hiring a home caregiver.

4. Return to Your Regular Routine

Some people make the mistake of yo-yo-ing on the day after Thanksgiving. By that, we mean they follow up their indulgent feast with a very light day of eating or even a crash diet. This is never a solution to the post-holiday bloat.

Instead, just return to your normal way of eating. Incorporate lots of healthy, nutritious and fiber-rich produce to keep your digestion rolling. However, you don’t need to overhaul your diet completely — just go back to the way you usually eat.

5. Ask Your Pharmacist

If you’re really having digestive issues and the above tips don’t help, you can always ask your pharmacist for help. They may be able to point you in the direction of a medication or supplement that can boost your digestion, relieve bloat and otherwise diffuse the discomfort you feel after such a big meal.

Make the Most of Your Thanksgiving Celebrations

Everyone indulges on holidays, and you shouldn’t beat yourself up for enjoying your Thanksgiving celebrations. Instead, eat what you want, then take the steps necessary to get back to feeling like yourself. We’re thankful it’s that easy, too.

Products & Services That Make Home Life Easier for Your Aging Parents

If your parents continue to live at home as they grow older, they will need more care and input from you. Luckily, there are a lot of great products and services that can make all of your lives easier and help keep your parents in good health. Here are a few ideas:

1. Pill Organizers

Older adults often take several medications to manage conditions like arthritis, heart disease, and high blood pressure. It can be hard to juggle different pill schedules. Plus, older adults sometimes forget whether they have taken a certain medication, leading to missed doses and double doses. Pill organizers can help minimize these challenges.

You can put all of your parents’ pills in a pill organizer at the beginning of the week. They will then know exactly what pills to take, and when. They won’t have to struggle with hard-to-open pill bottles, either.

Some local pharmacies take one step further and offer personalized medication packaging systems that organizes a patient’s daily non-liquid medications in sealed pill cups. The medications are color-coded and separated by the time of day for administration. Each cup is labeled with the patient’s name, the type and dose of the medication, and the precise date and time to take the medication. These personalized medication packaging systems help to ensure patient safety and medication adherence.

2. Grip Aids, Grabbers and Reachers

If your parents have arthritis in their hands or wrists, they may struggle to grip items in daily tasks as simple as grooming. Grip aids can help them hold on to small items like nail files, makeup brushes, and Q-tips.

Reacher tools can also help your parents reach items on taller shelves. By using a reacher tool, they can avoid having to stand on a stool, which may be unsafe if their balance isn’t the best anymore.

If your parents have limited arm or shoulder mobility, you can buy brushes and combs with long handles to help them style and brush their hair.

Some local pharmacies offer these items in their home health care supplies section, where they also sell things like walkers, raised toilet seats, shower seats, bath lifts, grab bars and walking canes that elderly people will also find helpful.

3. Home Care Services

Even if you are your parents’ primary caregiver, hiring a home care service to help out with a few basic tasks can be very freeing. A home caregiver can run errands, do some cleaning for your parents, prepare quick meals, and also serve as a companion for older adults who don’t get out as much as they used to.

4. Laundry Service

Older adults sometimes struggle to keep up with laundry. Loading it all into the washing machine, then into the dryer, and then folding it can be quite laborious. Hiring a laundry service to do your parent’s wash will simplify their lives and ensure they always have clean clothing and linens on-hand. Look for a local laundry service that offers pick-up and drop-off options.

If your aging parents still live at home, make sure they have the products and services they need to live comfortably and safely. Just a few simple products or services that assist them in their daily routine can help to improve their quality of life.

Caring for an Aging Parent at Home

Caring for an aging parent can be both complicated and rewarding. Having a little extra help can make all the difference. It’s important to take care of yourself, as well. Being a family caregiver can be both emotionally and physically exhausting, so here are some tips for caring for an aging parent at home.

Cooking Simple Meals

Part of holding on to your dignity as you age is remaining as independent as possible. So even if your parent needs significant assistance with living by herself or himself at home, there are ways to make it so that they can do some of the everyday tasks themselves. For example, on weekly grocery trips, be sure to pick up food items that they may be able to prepare themselves. Prepping ingredients beforehand and labeling them in containers in the fridge is always a great way to lend some assistance without overstepping.

Laundry and Cleaning

Laundry and cleaning are chores that require physical exertion, so it is best to get help with these tasks as much as possible. This could mean taking certain items to and from the dry cleaners or signing up for laundry delivery service. Or just designate a certain day that you do your loved one’s laundry, even if it’s at your own home. Hiring a cleaning service is always an option. Or you could make sure your parent has easily accessible tools like brooms or dustbusters so they could still do some light cleaning themselves.

Getting the Necessary Medical Supplies

It’s imperative that your aging parent has the necessary meds and medical supplies such as walking canes, shower seats, and reaching aids. Check with your local pharmacy about automatic prescription refills. Delivery may always be an option as well. This kind of thing is where hiring a home care agency could come in hand. A home healthcare aide will be able to provide assistance not only with picking up prescriptions but also help with mobility and physical assistance.

Caring for an aging parent can be tricky, but with a little extra planning, it doesn’t have to disrupt your life. Your parent deserves to be able to live out their lives as independently and comfortable as possible, and so do you. Don’t forget to take a break every now and then. A respite care provider can provide the at home care assistance that your parent needs while you rest and recharge.