September is National Preparedness Month and it’s the perfect time to think about how your senior parent can live independently and safely. Most seniors want to continue living in their own homes as long as they can. Seniors who have some support at home can often live alone for quite a long time.
Home care assistance is support for seniors that helps with a wide range of tasks, including helping seniors be ready for emergencies. With home care assistance your mom or dad is more likely to be stay safe at home and be prepared for disasters, power outages, fires, or other emergency situations.
Some of the ways that home care assistance can help keep your mom or dad safe at home are:
Emergency Preparedness Planning
A home care provider can work with you and your senior parent to develop an emergency plan customized for your mom or dad’s needs. Emergency plans for getting out of the house in a fire, keeping medical equipment running during a power outage, or getting emergency medical help if your mom or dad has a serious medical crisis are essential.
Home Safety Assessments
A home care provider who is in the home with your mom or dad daily can make sure that your parent’s home is safe. They can lower the risk of falls by making sure that clutter gets picked up, slippery floors get mats, and that your mom or dad has the support they need to get around the home.
If they see a potential risk they can let you know about it. For example, if your mom is having trouble getting around the house they may suggest getting your mom a walker, or putting in a ramp out front to make getting in and out of the house easier for her.
They can also make sure that safety devices like fire alarms and carbon monoxide detectors have fresh batteries and are working properly.
Mobility and Evacuation Assistance
If there is an emergency like a fire, flood, storm, or blizzard and your senior parent needs to evacuate, home care assistance can make sure that your senior parent is able to get out of the house in a timely way.
They can help plan evacuation routes out of the house that are best for your senior parent’s physical needs too, taking into consideration the things that your senior parent can’t do.
Health Monitoring
In an emergency a home care provider will be continuously monitoring your mom or dad’s health and making sure that any medical equipment they need, like supplemental oxygen tanks, are working correctly and that your mom or dad is using them.
In an emergency situation medical personnel may not be able to get to your mom or dad quickly, so having home care assistance is a great way to make sure someone is there. Having a caregiver they trust with them can help your senior parent stay calm until help arrives.
If you or an aging loved one are considering home care assistance in Centerville, UT please contact the caring staff at Home Instead today! (385) 399-7240
Home Instead provides exceptional home care in Centerville, Bountiful, Woods Cross, North Salt Lake, West Bountiful and surrounding areas.
