Are the Older Adults You Love Missing Out on These Life-Changing Adaptive Tools?
As many as half of all seniors living at home are not utilizing life-changing adaptive tools.
Consider the many tools you make use of each day – your phone, toothbrush, hairbrush – simple items, but ones you can’t imagine living without. For many seniors, there are basic but life-changing adaptive tools available that could mean the difference between living at home and facing a move to assisted living. Yet almost 50% of seniors living at home are not utilizing these helpful tools – even though costs are minimal.
A recent National Health and Aging Trends Study assessed the ability of older adults to execute tasks such as rising unassisted from a sitting position and walking, and discovered that a large number of the participants could benefit from assistive devices.
Not only that, but the likelihood of older adult falls from the lack of simple assistive devices is increased, bringing about hospitalizations, serious injury, and disability which could easily have been prevented. In fact, once these devices were made available to older adults, according to research, disability rates for older adults decreased by 50%, combined with a reduction in pain levels and an increase in the ability to independently perform activities of daily living.
Dr. Kenneth Lam, author of the study, explained, “It’s a technical problem which, unlike so much of aging, is actually solvable. In the hospital, I can order an M.R.I. and charge the system thousands of dollars. But down the road, that won’t help patients not fall. What happens when they get home?”
Johns Hopkins in Baltimore has recently launched a program looking to change this by introducing inexpensive assistive tools to seniors. Through a few in-home visits with an occupational therapist, repair specialist and nurse, needs are identified and resolved. That could mean removing fall hazards, installing grab bars in the bathroom, or adding a shower chair or raised toilet seat. Small changes such as these may make a significant difference in a senior’s ability to safely and independently manage activities of daily living.
How Can Someone I Love Gain Access to These Life-Changing Adaptive Tools?
At Hired Hands Homecare, we are pleased to offer in-home evaluations to recommend changes to the home environment that enhance safety and help older adults remain independent as well as in control. We are able to also help promote seniors’ safety, comfort, and independence through services such as:
- Offering accompanied transportation for medical appointments, errands, and fun outings
- Preparing nutritious meals and ensuring adequate hydration for older adults
- Providing assistance as necessary with personal care needs for safe bathing/showering, getting dressed, etc.
- Maintaining an organized and tidy home
- And much more
Contact us at (866) 940-4343 to schedule your assessment today! We’re pleased to serve older adults throughout Marin, Sonoma, and Napa counties as well as the Tri-Valley.
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