At Home Help for Seniors: 15 Great Products
Some things can be much easier with a little help from the right tool. Providing at home help for seniors is definitely one of those types of things.
The goal of many senior caregiving efforts is to help your elderly loved ones stay in their own homes. However, most homes aren’t set up to support the needs of aging people. That’s where home care products for elderly loved ones come in. There are all sorts of different gadgets and devices that can help you care for seniors in their own homes, allowing them to age in place more comfortably.
Here, we’ve compiled a list of 15 of the most promising ones for you to consider. We’ve also broken them up into different sections to help you scan for the ones that will suit your situation the most. Whether you need the most at home help for seniors in the kitchen, the bathroom, or anywhere else, we’ve got some ideas for you. Let’s jump right in.
Bathroom Products
Lots of home care products for elderly people are focused around making the bathroom a safer place — bathrooms are the sites of many falls. Thankfully, there are lots of products out there to help you and your loved one avoid those issues. Here are some home care products for elderly folks that do a good job of supporting at home help for seniors in the bathroom.
Grab Bars
One of the simplest ways to make the bathroom a safer place for your loved one, grab bars are a must in many homes.
Getting in and out of the tub is a minefield as we begin to lose our mobility. It can be difficult to step over that high lip when it’s dry, and adding water to the mix only makes things more treacherous. For these reasons, installing grab bars in strategic locations can be an effective safety measure.
Shower Chair
Standing in the slippery shower can be difficult for lots of elderly folks. Get rid of that entirely by buying a shower chair. Some people decide to do a complete bathroom renovation to solve this problem, but a simple shower chair is one of the fairly inexpensive home care products for elderly people that can make a big difference on its own.
A similar product is a transfer bench. The seat extends outside of the tub, so you sit down and then scoot over into the tub.
Non-Slip Mats
These home care products for elderly people can actually come in handy in more places than just the bathroom, but we’ll focus on that room for now. Getting rid of loose rugs or bath mats can greatly increase the safety of the bathroom, as your elderly loved one might trip on them. Replacing them with non-slip solutions could be a good idea. Plus, you can put them inside the shower or bathtub itself, making that a safer surface, too.
Kitchen Products
Much like the bathroom, there’s a lot of potentially dangerous stuff in any kitchen. Hot appliances and sharp tools can be hazardous for even the most dextrous among us, so for older adults, they pose a real risk. These home care products for elderly folks diminish that threat.
Automatic Can Opener
Traditional can openers can be tricky. And even when you get them to work, the sharp can lids they slice off can be cause for concern.
Try an automatic can opener instead. They’re machines where you put the can under the blade, pull the lever down or press a button, and boom — soup’s on. The sides aren’t jagged; they’re smooth enough to touch safely.
This is the kind of appliance you’ll want to use in the kitchen, not one to avoid. It’ll provide a little bit of at home help for seniors, especially if they’re opening cans on a daily basis. Whether it’s soup, tuna, or even cat food, this home care product for elderly folks (and for anybody who struggles to use a traditional can opener) is a no-brainer.
Jar Opener
There are always lots of things to open in the kitchen. First we talked about cans, now jars. Even the young and spry among us have met a jar or two that gives them a run for their money. Luckily, there are lots of jar opening aids on the market.
There are rubber grips you can use to help you hang onto the lid, but there are also home help products for elderly folks that go farther than that. You can mount a jar opening device to the underside of your kitchen cabinets. These jar openers have a V-shaped grip, and all you have to do is slide your jar in and twist. Since it doesn’t take up any counter space, it’s a great addition to even cramped kitchens.
It can make meal prep so much easier and more enjoyable, a form of at home help for seniors that can go a long way to making sure they’re getting the nutrition they need.
Medical Products
At home help for seniors involves administering or giving reminders for medication in most situations, as well as keeping track of visits to the doctor’s office and being prepared in the event of an accident. These products can make those tasks a little easier.
Pill Crusher
Swallowing pills might be a major issue. Instead of trying to get your loved one to force down those big pills, use this device to pulverize those tablets into an easy-to-ingest powder. The powder can be added to water, some juices, and certain soft foods.
It is important to note, though, that not all medicines should be crushed. Definitely check with your loved one’s doctor before buying one of these home help products for elderly people.
If crushing isn’t an option, ask your doctor about a pill splitter instead. These devices cut pills cleanly in half, so if the size is an issue, that might help them go down a bit easier.
Medical Records Organizer
With all the different visits to the doctor, treatments, and prescriptions to keep track of, it’s a wonder anybody can do it without an organizer. Stuffing all the records in a folder is one option. However, buying a dedicated medical records organizer can be a huge form of at home help for seniors.
First Aid Kit
Every home should have at least a basic first aid kit on hand, but the items a senior should always have available might be a little different. Older adults tend to have thinner, more fragile skin, so regular bandages and tape can be too irritating for them. Other products like paper tape and transparent film dressing are more gentle. This makes them good home care products for elderly folks.
You can buy a first aid kit pre-made and customize with your own additions, or you can build your own from scratch. Either way, make sure you check the expiration dates twice a year, and keep it in an obvious, easy-to-reach place.
Mobility Products
Just because you’re trying to help your loved one age in place doesn’t mean they have to stay in one spot. Seniors love to be up and around as much as anyone else. Here, we’ve got some home care products for elderly folks that help them get around.
Cane/Seat Combination
Many seniors benefit from having a place to briefly rest their legs when they’re out and about. Combining a cane with a small seat, these types of products are a two-for-one in mobility help for seniors.
When they’re walking, they’ve got a little bit of help in the form of a cane, and when they need a break, they’ve got a built-in seat. At home help for seniors doesn’t get much more efficient than that.
Wheelchair and Accessories
It’s best for your loved one’s doctor to consult on the right type of wheelchair for their needs. If they decide a manual wheelchair is the right fit, consider adding wheelchair accessories to your list of home care products for elderly folks.
From custom cushion covers to “slippers” that cover the wheels when you come into the house, there are all kinds of products to help you make the wheelchair work the best for you.
Recreation Products
There are all kinds of things you can purchase to help your loved one’s mind stay active. Home care products for elderly people don’t just have to be about making sure their basic needs are being met — keeping them entertained and happy is just as important. Here are some of our favorites for those purposes.
Jigsaw Puzzles
Doing a puzzle together can be a great form of at home help for seniors. Not only is it a great quality time activity, but it can also help them keep their hands and minds active.
Some companies also make puzzles specifically for those with dementia, vision impairment, and diminished hand flexibility. The pieces are larger and easier to hold. Try one out to find the difficulty level that your loved one is comfortable with. Who knows, they might have found a new favorite hobby!
Coloring Books
Lots of coloring books geared toward adults can be a bit small for seniors. However, special-made books for older adults are bigger and easier for them to enjoy. At home help for seniors can definitely include keeping them busy, and coloring could be just the thing.
Big Button Remote
When the little buttons on a regular TV remote become too small or too numerous for your senior loved one to deal with, consider swapping it with a universal remote with fewer, bigger buttons. It might not seem like a big deal, especially compared with other needs we’ve listed here, but it can solve some minor annoyances on a daily basis and allow your loved one to enjoy their favorite programs without any of the headache of finding them.
Communication Products
Keeping in touch with friends and family is a huge part of promoting our social and emotional health as we age. If we’re not able to get out and about as much, we’ll need at home help for seniors to stay connected. This section is devoted to home care products for elderly people that help them communicate with others.
Phones with Big Buttons
The reasoning behind this one is along the same lines as the point about remote controls. Typical telephones can get confusing as we age — too many tiny buttons to keep track of.
Manufacturers make specialized phones, both mobile and landline, that are designed to be easy for older adults to use. They feature only the essential buttons that are big enough for seniors to see clearly. These home care products for elderly folks also typically make it simpler to call for help in the event of an emergency.
Smart Doorbell
Unfortunately, seniors who live alone are often the targets of scammers. They might call and pretend to be a relative, or they might come door-to-door. With a video doorbell device, you have the ability to see who’s at the door before you answer.
An added bonus is that you can set many of them up to receive a notification to your phone when someone shows up at your loved one’s door. You can often speak through the microphone on the doorbell, which makes this an invaluable form of at home help for seniors.
Get the right at home help for seniors.
Of course, this list of products is neither exhaustive nor all you need when it comes to at home help for seniors. Home care products for elderly loved ones can only go so far — at home help for seniors includes a whole lot more than just some handy gadgets; it requires a lot of hard work from caregivers.
If you can’t do it alone anymore, start looking into the services we provide here at Seniors Home Care. From round-the-clock care to only a few hours a week, we help out lots of families with all different kinds of needs. Home care products for elderly loved ones are great places to start, but the expertise of professional caregivers can’t be matched. We’d love to have a conversation about how our services might benefit you and your family — we look forward to hearing from you.
Join the Discussion
Seniors Home Care reserves the right to remove anything deemed inappropriate, off-topic or otherwise questionable; however, we have no responsibility to do so.
Post Tags
Caregiving