Many of you know that my Mom, Laura, lives with me. It’s an arrangement that works well for our whole family. We are right down the road from my brother’s house, making it easy for Mom to help out with her grandchildren. I wish she had lived with me when my son was younger and still living at home. It’s a big help having Grandma around. Since we write this blog together, it’s so convenient for us to be under the same roof. Blogging can be a 24/7 job at times. Thanks to Premier Care Bathing for sponsoring today’s discussion about aging parents – something that affects all families.
Since Mom retired, I have really been pushing her to travel and see the world. Just last week, I tried so hard to convince her to go with a travel group to Europe for two weeks, and again she resisted. She finally told me that she wants to spend what time she has left with her grandchildren, not traveling the world. How can I argue with that? We’ll have to stick to family vacations.
Family is a priority for Mom, so as she ages I want to be prepared to make whatever changes necessary to our house to keep her living at home with family. She is still very active and in good health for her age. In fact, she is quick to point out that she gets around better than I do. Yet, as I saw with my Grandmother, this can change at anytime.
Mom is really enjoying her golden years, doing things with her grandchildren like trips to the aquarium and craft projects.
My Mom has spent her entire life taking care of her children and grandchildren, now it’s time for us to start thinking about caring for her.
Creating a Safer and More Comfortable Home for Aging Parents
We all care about having a safe and comfortable home. As our parents and grandparents age, there are some simple and inexpensive changes we can make to ensure our aging loved ones stay safe. Here are a few changes I plan to incorporate in my own home, as Mom gets older. They might be helpful for you as well.
1. Move furniture around. Something as simple as moving your furniture around can help prevent falls and accidents. Move things around to ensure there is plenty of wide open space to get around, and cover any sharp corners or edges.
3. Consider purchasing a new bed and/or bed rails. An adjustable bed can be beneficial for seniors, making it easier to get in and out of bed and sleep comfortably.
4. Alerts or call buttons. There are many different products available that your loved one can use to call for help with the press of a button, in case of an emergency.
5. Bathroom safety. Install rails in the bathroom. Consider investing in a walk in tub. Stepping over the side of the tub is dangerous for the elderly. Premier Care in Bathing has walk-in tubs, which are great for aging parents, or anyone with pain, arthritis, stress, or physical disabilities. Visit the Premier Care website to grab a brochure, and learn about their monthly payment options starting as low as $150.
Have you thought about how to make your home more comfortable for your aging parent?
alert or call buttons sounds really good to me. i need more security to know my family is safe. its nice travelling too! maybe all of you can travel at the same time
Since my mom fell in the bathroom about a month ago, this post isn’t lost on me at all. Something like this is probably what needs to happen in her house now.
I think it is great to have your Mom living with you and being around to help out and she gets to see her grandkids a lot. How wonderful. My Elderly Dad lives with me, and I know how important it is to make sure to have a safe environment for him as he ages.
This is a great post. Some times we are too busy with our life so that we easily forgot our aging parents. We should start thinking how to make our house more elderly-friendly too. Like my mom for example, she can’t stand certain dishwashing liquid brand because it’s too harsh for her.
Those are great tips. I would love to have a walk-in tub myself, and I would not consider myself a senior just yet.
Thank you so much for this post. As we get older, we forget that our parent’s are getting older as well. This is bookmark, so I can reference, this when I need it for my parent’s.
It’s always good to make the home they live in more comfortable and easy for them to move around in.
We tend to forget our parents can do the things as easy as they had before. What awesome things you are doing for your mother. Kudos to you. Thanks for sharing.
wow sounds like a lot of work!!!! but yes it’s very important we take care of our aging parents…
Bless your heart for being a very good daughter. I would do the same things that you’re doing. My Mom’s not getting younger and I find myself just wanting her to be comfortable and happy with her life right now. I owe her that.