As a family caregiver, one of the most important things that you can do for your elderly parent is to take steps to reduce their risk and increase their personal safety. Staying safe is vital at any age, but it can become particularly pressing as your senior gets older, as many criminals target older adults who they view as more vulnerable, more trusting, or otherwise better for their particular form of fraud or crime.
While there are many steps that you can take to improve your parent’s safety, one of the most important is making sure that their home is as safe an environment as possible. This creates a space of security and helps to prevent intruders and other potential problems.
Use these tips to create a safer home for your senior:
• Use “guard plants”.
Having a hedge around the house or bushes near the home itself is a beautiful way to enhance curb appeal, but it can also provide places for potential intruders to conceal themselves. In this situation, consider adding “guard plants”. This term is often used to describe ornamental plants that are very dense, thorny, or otherwise difficult to get through. Placing these near your parent’s windows and in the hedge can eliminate these hiding spaces and make approaching the house more difficult.
• Curb fence climbing.
Make it more difficult for anyone to climb into your parent’s yard and enhance the home’s beauty by adding a trellis with climbing flowers on top of their fences. These are fragile, difficult to climb and will make noise if they break.
• Make a gravel walkway.
If your parent does not have mobility problems, consider coating their walkway and even their driveway with pebbles or gravel. This will create a distinctive sound if anyone is approaching. This can be an effective technique for around potentially hidden doors and windows as well.
Being a family caregiver for an elderly adult can be stressful and challenging. Fortunately, home care can help. If you have found that your parent’s challenges and needs are more than you feel that you can handle successfully and efficiently on your own, or your own limitations have increased so that you are no longer able to do for your senior what you feel that they need or deserve, a care provider could be an invaluable addition to your care routine.
This in-home care provider can step in to fill care gaps and ensure that your loved one gets everything that they need at all times, helping to support your efforts in giving them the highest quality of life possible as they age in place. Not only can this care enhance your parent’s life, but it can also be a benefit to you, easing stress, giving you peace of mind, and allowing you to focus on other obligations and needs in your life while knowing that your parent has what they need.
If you or a family member are in need of home care services in Fort Lauderdale, FL, call the caring professionals at Star Multi Care today at (954) 870-4770.
Providing service in Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Weston, Southwest Ranches, Pembroke Pines, Cooper City, Lighthouse Point, and Wilton Manors.
- Client Advocacy Services Help with Senior Care & Family Dynamics - April 15, 2024
- What Benefits Does Skilled Nursing Offer? - April 8, 2024
- Companion Care at Home Offers Assistance Needed for Your Spouse - April 1, 2024
