This Is Why You Should Help a Senior Loved One Downsize
- By 7016324482
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- 22 Aug, 2017
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If you are a caregiver managing your senior loved one’s care from afar, you know better than anyone how difficult it can be for a person with limited mobility or symptoms of early-stage dementia to live independently. Her challenges multiply when she lives in a large family home that is too much for her to clean and maintain. Both of you worry about her climbing the stairs, getting in and out of the bathtub, and reaching high cabinets. If these concerns weigh on you, it is time for you to help your senior loved one downsize. We offer some advice to help you through the process.
1. Downsizing Helps a Senior Loved One Remain Safe
Large houses with two or more stories are dangerous for seniors with limited mobility because they have to climb stairs to get to the most-used areas of the home several times a day. Downsizing to a single-story, ranch-style home ensures that seniors do not attempt to climb stairs. And, most ranch-style homes do not have a step onto porches or into garages, so you won’t have to worry about your loved one climbing any stairs at all. Long-distance caregivers gain peace of mind knowing that their senior loved one is not risking a fall or harming her knees or hips by navigating staircases.
2. Downsizing Often Results in Having Extra Money for Home Modifications
The majority of seniors live in family homes in which they raised their children. These homes often are too large for one person. Downsizing to a smaller home is a way for a senior to make some money because he can sell a larger home for more money than the cost of a smaller home. Seniors then use this extra money to make home modifications to ensure their safety.
In many cases, smaller ranches are easier to modify to enable your senior loved one to age in place. Rather than spending a great deal of money installing a chairlift in a home that is too large for your loved one, you can put money into widening doorways, installing no-slip flooring, or installing a walk-in tub or shower. Smaller ranches also have open floor plans, which makes them easier to clean and navigate for seniors.
3. Downsizing Results in Decluttering
If you worry that your loved one will trip and fall and you won’t be aware of her injury right away, you need to help her declutter. Downsizing does not just mean moving to a smaller home; it also means sorting through belongings and keeping items that are most useful and most sentimental in order to move to a smaller home. When you declutter your loved one’s home, you ensure that all of her belongings have a spot in which to fit, so you decrease the likelihood that she will trip over something on the floor or out of place. Everyday Health shares some helpful tips for preventing falls at home if you want some more information.
Of course, the challenge with decluttering is determining what to keep and what to donate, sell, give away, or trash. This process should not happen overnight. Your loved one will need time to reminisce, make decisions, and come to terms with parting with some belongings. You can begin by encouraging her to go room by room and make a yes pile and a no pile. Once she narrows down what she wants to keep, she can further downsize by asking direct questions about each item in the yes pile. Looking at each item as objectively as possible will help her decide what to move to her new home.
If you are a long-distance caregiver, you want to ensure your loved one is managing as well as possible independently. Living in a large home with stairs, too many rooms, and too much clutter is not an ideal situation for seniors who have mobility issues or who are in the early stages of dementia. That’s why you should help your loved one downsize to a ranch home with modifications that is safer and easier to navigate and maintain. It’s also important to help her declutter in preparation for the move to her smaller home.
Marie Villeza
Elderimpact.org | info@elderimpact.org