When we think of Aging in Place, the ability to live independently, we often consider the physical barriers preventing people from remaining in their homes: ramps, grab bars, and lift chairs, to name a few. While the 2016 Canadian Consensus found that 85% of seniors wanted to remain in their homes instead of a care facility, only a small percentage of people do the planning needed to attain this goal. The barrier may be people simply don’t know what support they would need and worry whether they can achieve this goal financially, so it is easier to ignore the problem.
Aside from physical changes to our environments, here are 4 commonly forgotten considerations
Socialization & Mental Stimulation
Many seniors live alone, without a spouse to accompany them. This can lead to isolation and depression. Determine the amount of time you or your loved one will be alone and decide whether personal and/or companion care would be beneficial. Companion care can fill that void by playing card games, helping with gardening, going out for a meal or watching a favourite sporting event on TV. Whatever you or your loved one enjoys, we can work together to get some recreation in the day.
Medication
Failing to take medication properly, failing to refill prescriptions or forgetting to take medications can be a leading cause of hospitalization. Medication adherence is a significant issue that needs to be addressed.
Your pharmacy can provide blister packs
- Purchase an automatic pill dispenser that will alert you with lights and sound that medication is needed
- Build it into your bedtime and/or mealtime routines
- Set a timer or reminder on your phone/calendar
- Wear a reminder device- an Apple watch or a pager-like device
- If you are tech-savvy – use a Mobile App to remind you
- Set up Smart Home reminders ie: voice-activated assistants like Google Nest, or Alexa
Pharmacies order similar size and coloured bottles in bulk. We can help our loved ones by creating colour-coded labels with large print stating the name of the medication and the time/how it should be taken. Custom, refillable, colour-coded bottles you can buy from a local pharmacy or online.
Please note that while companions can pick up your medications from a pharmacy and remind you about taking medications, we cannot dispense the medication for you.
Meal Preparation
When our mobility changes (inability to drive, so the need to carry groceries using the bus, or physical changes to fingers/hands, standing, knee/hip pain), shopping for groceries, prepping and preparing meals become difficult. Seniors may opt for quick and easy prepackaged foods. Fast foods are often lower in nutrients and higher in sugar, fat and salt. These foods can interfere with chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
We can do the shopping, meal prep and clean up for you. We can prepare food in larger quantities for freezing. Alternative solutions are Meals on Wheels or Google meal delivery services in your area.
Overcoming Small Obstacles
Many non-medical obstacles can arise for our loved ones that are frustrating to both our loved ones and adult children who are assisting aging parents. Telephone calls about being locked out of the home, inability to find a wallet before an upcoming outing, or they started the laundry but forgot to put it in the dryer, and they don’t want to go to bed without sheets. Developing an action plan in advance can help with these incidents (ie: giving a key to the neighbour, keyless entry doors, and a small amount of cash hidden for emergencies).
Preparing for changes in health, mobility, and socialization is essential to developing aging-in-place plans. Using proactive measures allows seniors the autonomy to make choices about their later years and know that they have done what they can to age as they wish. When the time comes that an assisted living community is the next step, they can have comfort in knowing that it is the correct next step.