Old Age Doesn’t Come Alone

My mum is now in her twilight years and with old age life changes dramatically. One of the biggest changes is mobility, and generally being unsteady on their feet. I know this better than most. As my mum has got older this is what has happened to her.

So what was once easy and possible for mum to carry out everyday tasks that we all do without a thought, will become a thing of the past because mobility is an issue and being generally unsteady on her feet. One thing that has become a major issue in her later years is the prospect of falling. Unfortunately this has happened on a number of occasions and has resulted in broken bones with lots of cuts and bruises.

My mum still wants to live in her home and really enjoys her independence. This has left me in a dilemma because I will need to install certain measures so that she feels safe and so that it reduces the possibility of her falling in her own home.

Here are a list of things that I have planned to do to make her home safer and easier for get around and just quite simply to help her enjoy the later years of her life.

1. Bathroom

The bathroom is an absolute priority. It is very dated and still has the original bath that was installed when the house was built. This has become completely unviable for my mum as she cannot get in and out of the bath. It is now physically impossible for her.

My plan is to convert the bathroom into a wet room that has a walk-in shower. This will enable her to easily shower every day which is something I know mum likes to do. It can be difficult to find the right company to install an elderly friendly bathroom, but thankfully when I went online I found that there are many options available. A specialist company such as MOBILITY PLUS+ are perfect. They are specialists in designing walk-in showers for the elderly and people with mobility problems. So that’s the bathroom sorted out and I know my mum will be safe.

2. Hand Rails

When we think of hand rails we generally only think of them as being outside. Of course this is important so I will be installing hand rails to the front and back doors of my mums house inside, and also at certain points outside that will help her with her mobility.

What many don’t realise is that most elderly people with mobility problems usually fall inside the home. That has certainly been the case with my mum. So I will be installing hand rails around the home so that she can get around easily and have peace of mind that if she becomes unsteady she will be able to grab hold of a hand rail to steady herself before she moves on.

3. Kitchen

The kitchen is one of most used rooms in any home and my mum certainly uses her kitchen a lot. However, for the elderly they are generally not very friendly user. My mum struggles because of her mobility to reach up high or bend down. As such I’m going to re-design the kitchen so that everything is at a level that she doesn’t need to bend or reach. This of course will reduce the chance of her taking a tumble.

So to make my mums life easier and more comfortable that’s what I will be doing in her home. I will also be making a few other smaller adjustments to her home. I will be removing all mats as they can be a major cause of falling over. My mum also nows uses a walking stick permanently, so I will be buying extra walking sticks to place in her bedroom and the kitchen so there is always one to hand when she needs one.

Old age, as I have said, does not come alone, but as a family we can adjust my mums home so it is safe and she consequently can continue to live independently on her own. Elderly people can still be independent, which takes just a few changes in their home and the support of their family.

Do you have elderly family with mobility problems and have had to upgrade their home to make it safe? I would love to hear in the comments below.

This is a collaborative post.