6 Tips to Create a Cozy Environment for Your Elderly Parents

Even at an age when most people feel certain day-to-day tasks challenging it is possible to make them feel safe. Not only possible but essential, especially within their own home. Practical is always good and it does not have to be plain, it can be very stylish if you put some thought into it.

Ensure a safe entrance

If the path to your house is made of rocks, bricks or anything else that has those little spaces in between consider replacing it with a plain concrete one. A flat path is the easiest to move on and is not a tripping hazard for elderly especially if they are walking with a cane. To keep the curb appeal, you can edge it with the same type of rocks or pick a cute tiny wooden fence around it, as long as the main walking area is flat and clear. Build a ramp leading to the porch with rails on both ramp and the stair side.

Keep visibility to maximum

This is generally a good advice for everyone, but particularly you if you have an elderly parent or grandparent living with you. All rooms starting from the hallway should be well lit. Their eyes are growing more impaired with years and it is probably a good idea to enhance it with lights. This will enable them to feel more comfortable and confident when moving around the house.

Select the right furniture

Depending on their physical state, your senior family member may have certain difficulties using the existing furniture. Talk to them and try to figure out what works best for them. What you will probably end up having is a riser recliner which will enable them to select the right sitting position and without a lot of effort. Eventually, they may even have to get an adjustable bed. In the meantime, you can use risers to elevate their bed slightly and thus make laying down and getting up a less demanding task.

Help their balance

Try to prevent that fall as much as you can. Install handrails and grab bars wherever you find appropriate. A bathroom is a focus here as being alone in a bathroom is a mirror of independence. They will like to keep their privacy so allow them to do so by building a walk-in shower and adding grab bars in the shower and next to the toilet. You can add the anti-slip tape for extra grip on slippery surfaces such as bathroom tiles. Remove rugs, and place wall-to-wall carpets where possible.

Allow them freedom to move

Based on their long experience Rescon Builders support the idea of senior’s housing having only one floor. If you are adapting an already existing family home, the best you can do is try to give them a bedroom on the ground floor and thus keep all of their activities there. However, this may make them feel a little bit helpless as they are not able to use the entire house. If it is not too much to ask, financially and space wise, install a stair lift to enable them to move around the house freely just as they used to.

Keep the favorites

You want them to feel at home. As their dexterity is decreasing, you need to pay attention to decluttering more than you used to. This means that certain pieces of furniture will no longer have its space in the house. Speak to them and see which pieces of furniture or decorative items are their favorite. Those are the keepers. If they are moving to a retirement home, be sure to pack some of the keepers depending on the space available there. Perhaps, you can use the old furniture to make their room in the home seem like a piece of their family home.

Remember, whatever adjustments you are doing to accommodate your elderly parent, ask them first for their opinion. It is very important that they feel comfortable with all the changes that are to take place. If you feel that they are rejecting your assistance, try to reason with them instead of simply imposing. The place will only feel cozy if they are happy with it and if they find it their own.