Parents Day Sunday, July 26th
The day aims to promote responsible parenting and to recognize positive parental role models. It celebrates the special bonds of love between parental figures and their children. As our parents age, adult children take on the parental role of aging parents, this is when we begin to worry because our parents are still at home, but maybe a little more forgetful or unable to do the household chores the way they used to do them. Here are a few tips for you to help your parents to be safe in their homes:
– Automatic pill reminders, as we get older we have to take more and more pills every day, sometimes several times a day and we do not always remember to take them as directed. There are different types of automatic pill reminders that you can buy that offer timers and alerts.
– Cooking options – As we get older we become more forgetful, and this can be a real concern when it comes to cooking on the stove. There are several options for this one being The Safe-T-element Cooking System this product does not get above 350 degrees which is below the auto-ignition point of grease, oil, clothing etc.
– Personal Emergency Response Systems – The ad “Help I have fallen and I cannot get up” is a real issue as we get older and are living alone. There are many Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS) available today, Consumer’s Advocate has listed their Top 10 Medical Alert Systems.
– Hearing aids for phone and doorbell – As we age our hearing ages, here is a great video to test your hearing! YouTube Hearing Test Now that you have tested your hearing, imagine what your parents cannot hear. Missing a phone call or a visitor at the door can be frustrating for everyone. There are now companies that make alerts such as the lights will flash if the phone or doorbell are ringing. Rehabmart.com has lots of wonderful options from hearing impaired alert devices, bed shakers, doorbell signalers and medical alert systems.
– Monitoring systems – A big worry is that you do not live nearby and cannot visit or keep an eye on your parents like you would like to be able to, now there are monitoring systems you can install in your parents’ home. A number of high-tech monitoring systems on the market now do what you can’t: watch over your parents to make sure that nothing out of the ordinary is happening — and report in to you, your computer, or a dispatcher when something does (for example, one of your parents goes into the bathroom and still hasn’t come out an hour later). They usually cost about $200, plus a monthly monitoring fee of about $100.
– Communication – Another big worry is, if there is a problem they will not be able to call for help because today’s smart phones are not built for our elderly population. There is a product call Jitterbug which is made specifically for the elderly person, it is has an easy clam shell flip phone with large buttons and extra sensitive speakers to allow for better hearing.
There are lots of things you can do to help keep your parents happy and in their homes for a long time, and if they need additional support in their home we are here to help. A Senior Connection partners with many reputable in-home care companies and we would love to help you find the right person to help take care of your parents in their home, please give us a call today at 916-208-3338 and we will be happy to help find compassionate, reliable, and trustworthy help for your parents.
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