The activities seniors take on each day can boost their physical health and overall wellbeing. These tasks are vital to bodily function and optimal health, and to complete them, seniors may need to rely on others for assistance. Below you’ll find some of the most critical activities of daily living and ways you can help your aging loved one with each task.
Eating
When seniors eat nutritious meals, they can stave off diabetes, reduce the risk of cancer, and maintain healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels. However, cooking can be difficult for older adults with limited mobility or health conditions. Step in to help with meal prep, and store entrées in the refrigerator for your loved one to warm up during the week.
Helping your loved one plan and prepare nutritious meals is one of the many types of support an in-home caregiver can provide. Aging adults who require assistance with the tasks of daily living can benefit from reliable homecare. Families trust Assisting Hands Home Care Frederick to provide the high-quality care their elderly loved ones need and deserve. Our caregivers are trained to help seniors prevent serious illnesses and encourage them to make healthier decisions as they age.
Grooming, Bathing, & Dressing
Bathing, dressing, and grooming are challenging for many seniors, especially as their cognitive abilities and physical health decrease with age. Commit to helping your parent with bathing and grooming, even if you have to split up the tasks among your siblings or hire a professional caregiver. Assisting your parent with these activities could reduce his or her risk of slips, falls, fractures, and other injuries. It also lowers the odds of health issues resulting from poor hygiene and mental health problems such as depression.
If your loved one needs help with bathing and grooming, a professional caregiver can be a wonderful addition to your caregiving team. When considering home care, Frederick, MD, families should make sure their senior loved ones have the resources they need to maintain their independence and remain healthy. Trusted in-home care professionals can assist seniors with daily tasks like cooking, bathing, and exercise, and they can also encourage them to focus on healthier lifestyle habits.
Toileting & Continence
Using the bathroom is clearly an essential daily task, but getting to the bathroom in time, getting undressed, and sitting down on the toilet can be difficult for many aging adults. The bathroom can be dangerous and difficult to navigate for seniors, and your parent may need help with using the restroom. If your loved one has to go to the bathroom frequently or needs assistance with safely getting on and off the toilet, consider hiring an in-home caregiver to help. If your parent experiences incontinence, he or she may also need help with cleaning him or herself and changing clothes.
Socializing
For optimal quality of life, your parent needs to find ways to socialize. You can help by finding fun activities in the community, such as concerts, festivals, and events at a local senior center. Maintaining a social life can build connections, strengthen communication skills, boost cognitive health, and enhance mood. Keep in mind there will be days when your loved one wants to stay home, which is why you should find social activities he or she can participate in with a computer or smartphone, such as an online book club or sports chat group.
If you’re the primary family caregiver for a senior loved one living in Frederick, in-home care is available if your loved one’s health has become too difficult to manage without professional expertise. At Assisting Hands Home Care, we take measures to help seniors prevent illness and injury by assisting with exercise and mobility, preparing nutritious meals, helping with bathing and other personal hygiene tasks, and much more. To learn about our high-quality in-home care options, give us a call at (301) 786-5045 today.
