Being comfortable at home and getting the most out of where you live are important. As your family grows and changes, so does your needs. Most of us are probably used to adapting our homes to suit our needs – changing the spare room into a nursery, or setting up a home office for example.
When it comes to the older generation and what they need from their home, their needs may change but the importance of keeping up to date with these does not. Having a home that is well adapted to an older person is essential for ensuring they’re happy and safe at home – and may well mean that they can stay living in their own home for longer too!
Make The Most of Technology
Technology can be hard to get your head around as an older person, but can also make a massive difference to your life. For example, if you put an Amazon Echo Dot in a couple of the rooms in the house, you have peace of mind that you can drop-in and speak to them via this device – handy for when you can’t get hold of them on the phone. Lifelines so that they can ring the emergency services at the touch of a button can also be a life-changer. Depending on their capabilities, video calling is also a great way to ensure they’re in contact with the whole family – which does wonders for anyone’s mental health.
Ensuring Everywhere is Accessible
Moving into a bungalow isn’t always an option, but that doesn’t mean all is lost. It is important that the whole house is accessible and that the person living there isn’t struggling up and down the stairs, for example. It is well worth looking into buying home lifts, which can help to prevent this issue. Home lifts are different from stairlifts because they are designed to work in your home instead of stairs, or alongside them. This means it is easy to carry things and even use if you’re in a wheelchair – so the ideal adaption to make to the home of someone who’s mobility isn’t as good as it once was.
Making Little Changes
Making adaptations to the home of someone older is about making things as easy as possible for them. For example, could you set up a little fridge and a kettle in their living room so they don’t have to carry cups of tea through from the kitchen? Can you put handles in the bath to make getting in and out easier or consider how to help them declutter & making getting about easier?
Everyone deserves to feel happy and comfortable at home. If it is a friend or family member that you’re helping then speak to them about their needs and what they would like, what they struggle with and what they would like to be easier & you’ll soon come up with a list of adaptations that will help them long term.
