Keeping your elderly loved one as secure as possible is one of your primary goals as a family caregiver. While any person should make sure that their home is safe, this can be particularly important for elderly adults who might be struggling with mobility issues or with cognitive functioning decline that might lead to safety issues such as wandering. There are many considerations for home security that you should keep in mind throughout the year, but as the seasons change, you might find that there are other issues that you need to address.
Use these tips to keep your senior safer and more secure this summer:
- Ensure window screens are secure. Opening up the windows on cool summer nights is a wonderful way to bring fresh air into the home and keep the temperature comfortable. Having the windows simply open, however, can be dangerous. Make sure that all windows are properly equipped with firmly fitted screens that are not easily removed from the outside and are tear-resistant.
- Add outdoor lighting. Walk around your elderly loved one’s home in the evening and at night and identify areas that are particularly dark and entryways that are not easily seen. Adding extra lighting that will illuminate these areas makes it less likely that someone will attempt to hide in those areas and protects the entryways of the home. Look for lights that extend far from the home and that overlap to prevent further shadows. Consider talking to a professional to create the ideal lighting approach.
- Keep plants around the home under control. Large overgrowth of trees, bushes, and other plants provides cover for potential intruders. Keep the plants around your elderly parent’s home under control so that the home is readily visible and the plants cannot provide a way for someone to hide or to climb up to high windows or entryways.
If your parent’s needs, limitations, and challenges have become more than you feel that you can handle effectively and efficiently, your schedule has changed and you are no longer able to be with them as often as you would like to, or you simply feel that they would benefit from diversified attention during their later years, now may be the ideal time for you to consider starting home care for them. A care provider can be in the home with your elderly loved one on a schedule that is right not just for their individual needs and limitations, but also the care that you are able to give to them. This means that they are able to help your senior remain safe, happy, healthy, and comfortable while also pursuing a lifestyle that is as active, engaged, independent, and fulfilling as possible as they age in place. This can give your parent reassurance while giving you tremendous peace of mind knowing that even when you are not able to be with them, they are getting everything that they need, easing your caregiver stress and improving quality of life for both you and your senior.
If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring caregiver services in Anderson, SC, contact Heart of the Carolinas Home Care at 864-991-3116. Providing Home Care Services in Greenville, Simpsonville, Greer, Anderson, Spartanburg, Mauldin, Seneca, Laurens, Charleston, Columbia and the surrounding areas.
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