As a Registered Nurse, I have had a lot of experience with caring for elderly people. I have learned a lot about ways to provide them with assistance that are not expensive, but more just good common sense. In this article, I would like to look at some ways that rearranging, redecorating, and providing colour contrast to make things stand out or be clear will help an elderly person.
One of the most common problems elderly people have is being concerned they will fall. All of us can relate to this, and when we get a call in the middle of the night from mom, one of the first things that comes to mind is did they fall. Elderly people can fall for many reasons, such as standing up too fast, not seeing something and tripping on it, and having decreased sensation in their feet just to name a few. Some things, such as the decrease in their sensation, are very difficult to address. But, it is quite easy to look around and figure out ways to make it easier for our parents to see things and make it easier to navigate within the space. Imagine that your vision is poor, and when you look at an area in the room, if it’s all the same colour, it just looks like a solid thing. If the stairs and the walls are blue paint, and blue carpet, and not well lit, well, can you imagine? How about if the stairs are painted or carpeted a contrasting colour? Each stair also should be defined, like, could edges of the steps be painted contrasting colours from the step itself? Choosing a light colour like white or ivory, and a dark colour like brown, blue or black, seems better than bright colours for this. Add some lighting to this to enhance the contrast, and it will really help improve visibility. Be sure the railing for the stairs is very sturdy, and can support weight. If carpet is chosen for the stairs, be certain it is very securely fastened to the stairs, also.
Speaking of providing contrast, another thing elderly people sometimes struggle with is feeding themselves. Think again about if you have poor vision, and look at the table. Setting a pretty table, often people will make the tablecloth and dishes the same, or similar. If you think about visibility, it is not too difficult to see that a dark table or tablecloth and light dishes make it easier to see what is in front of you. If you serve spinach in a dark green bowl, well, it might look empty, and the person might not touch the food in it. Then, you would think, the person does not like spinach, but really they didn’t even know it was there.
If the drink they have at the table is in a heavy cup, that also will make it more difficult for them. Try putting their drink in a plastic or lightweight cup, and if they are having trouble with holding that cup, look at different things that will make it easier for them. Some seniors do well with a mug, which has a handle they can grasp to get a good grip. Many people have arthritis, and a handle makes it easier and more comfortable to hold onto for a drink. This is not expensive, but can make the difference for an elderly person who is trying to remain independent. The same can be said about the spoon or fork they are using. Be sure the handle is easy enough for them to grasp. Add good lighting to this and the person who was not feeding themselves may do much better.
The last place I wanted to discuss is the bathroom. Many people have difficulty using the toilet. Although it does not have to do with contrast, a toilet riser from a health care supply store is one of the best investments you can get. It boosts the height of the toilet, making it easier to get on and off, and comes with handles to grasp. That helps for safety and support, too. Encourage the elderly gentleman to sit down to avoid a fall. As you can see, these are not expensive “fixes” but can go a long way toward promoting safety as well as comfort and hopefully allow the senior to be able to do more for themselves.
As a Registered Nurse who has cared for elderly people for 20 years, I am very happy to see the trend of families choosing to keep their loved ones at home and provide care there, when possible. Our elderly parents built our country, and have a great wealth of life experience to learn from. It enriches the lives of the whole family to have them live at home. They deserve our respect. I am interested in helping people who choose to keep elderly loved ones home to be able to provide their care in an efficient and comfortable way, which does not always have to cost a lot of money. My website is: 1-4-caregivers.com [http://1-4-caregivers.com]
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