Four Challenges to Aging in Place and How to Overcome Them

Staying in the home you know is important as you age. You don’t want to have to adjust to new neighbors, sounds, and traffic patterns. As long as the home works for your parents’ changing needs, there’s no reason to move them. That said, there may be challenges to aging in place, but it’s possible to overcome them with a little planning.

Mobility Issues and the Home’s Layout

If your mom or dad has an issue with mobility following a fall or stroke, the home’s layout may become a challenge. Getting in and out of a high-sided bathtub/shower combination can seem impossible without help. Climbing up and down the stairs is another challenge.

With home care services, someone is there to assist your parents with these challenges. Over time, you can make improvements like installing a walk-in tub or putting in a stairlift, but caregivers can help in the meantime.

Isolation and Proximity to Community Events

Your parent’s home may be quite a distance from community buildings, businesses, and medical offices. That can make your mom and dad feel isolated.

Transportation services from a caregiver can overcome that. They have companionship at home, but on days they want to go out, the caregiver is there to drive them where they need to go and stay with them if needed during the appointment or meeting.

Being Diagnosed With a Chronic Health Condition

The older you are, the higher the odds of having at least one chronic health condition. High blood pressure is one of the most common. Others include diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, and cancer.

If your parent is diagnosed with a chronic condition, regular doctor’s visits, medications, diet, and exercise become important parts of the daily routine. Having caregivers on hand to help with reminders, appointment scheduling, meal preparation, and transportation can make a huge difference in your parent’s life.

Ability to Complete Daily Chores

Over time, your parents may have a harder time completing some daily chores. Climbing up on a ladder to change a light bulb or test a smoke alarm is risky. Carrying heavy baskets of laundry up and down the stairs is difficult.

It may become hard for your parents to remember to take prescriptions on time. Cooking a meal can be tough if arthritis sets in. All of these challenges are easily handled with a caregiver’s help.

Home care services can help your parents overcome any of these challenges. It’s easy to arrange the services and adjust them as needed. Call a home care agency to learn more.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home Health Care in Oakland, CA, contact the friendly staff at Home Care Professionals today.
Call (866)-940-4855

Andy Howard CEO at HomeCare Professionals

Andy Howard is a Bay Area Native who holds a BA in Political Science (University of Colorado at Boulder, ’97). After college Andy worked in the surging tech industry. His Grandmother however, would suffer a significant decline in health and ultimately needed in-home care. The experience of a loved one depending on outside help to age in place proved to be pivotal for Andy as he left the tech industry in 2002 for an opportunity in the home care world with a large provider. After having success in home care, but being frustrated by corporate constraints Andy founded HomeCare Professionals in 2005. He methodically built the company one client at a time by focusing on hiring quality caregivers to ensure positive outcomes. Currently Andy serves as the CEO of HomeCare Professionals and is also highly active in the non-profit organization California Association of Health Services at Home (CAHSAH) which advocates for a higher standard of in-home care for those who wish to remain living at home in California.

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