If you are lucky enough to have both of your elderly parents alive and kicking, hopefully, you are able to visit them as often as time allows, and as such, you are able to keep an eye on how they are doing and check that they are coping living independently in their own home.
However, even so, it can often be decidedly tricky to determine whether your parents are truly happy being self-sufficient or else they are simply putting on a brave face whenever you visit. So, in an attempt to differentiate the two, continue reading to learn of three ways to ensure your elderly parents are safe and secure living at home.
1. Always Promote Open & Honest Conversation
Open and honest conversation and communication have hopefully always been a mainstay of the relationship between you and your parents, and as they get older, this becomes even more important.
When visiting them, look out for signs that they may well not be coping with living independently as well as they pretend or appear to be, which include the following:
- Their levels of personal hygiene have started to slip in recent weeks
- There are unopened bills and other mail lying on the side unopened
- A visibly reduced level of accessibility and mobility
- A messier and much less organized home
2. Give Them the Technology to Make Life Easier
Understandably, many older people are somewhat resistant to new technologies, and it may well be the case that there are a couple of items of equipment that, once shown how to use, they will absolutely love and will make them feel safer.
One perfect example of this is a wireless thermostat that your parents can operate from their phone, turning on and switching off their heating even when they are not at home. Another prime example of smart technology that they may well like to look into further is a smart doorbell so that they can see exactly who is calling and what they want before they open the door.
3. Encourage Your Parents to Socialize
It is entirely possible that your parents are not just soulmates but best friends too and that they are entirely happy keeping themselves to themselves, always doing any activity or pursuit they choose to do in their lives together as a couple.
However, it is still a good idea to at least broach the subject with your parents about widening their social circle, either by starting to attend the local pub quiz at the bottom of the street every Wednesday or else starting a new hobby or activity that they can enjoy and learn together.
Social isolation and even loneliness can be a huge problem for anyone, especially in this modern world where technology is taking over normal interactions between people, but for older people, it is even more important that they stay present and remain connected to their loved ones and the world around them.
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