Taking care of a senior loved one is a serious responsibility. It’s a commitment that requires preparedness, patience, and passion. To add, you need to equip your home with the essential supplies that could significantly help make them comfortable, happy, and pleasantly dignified. Depending on your elderly’s level of mobility and function, getting all the necessities could make all the difference in the quality of care you can provide.
To ensure your list is complete, you might want to consider double-checking it to guarantee you won’t forget anything and go back to the store or mall. Here’s a list of the things you don’t want to slip your mind.
1. Incontinence Products
Incontinence is a common issue among aging people. They’re already starting to lose control over their bladder and bowel at this point in their lives. In such cases, your senior loved one should always have products that can make their urinary and defecation concerns more bearable and less embarrassing.
Remember, you need to ensure they remain dignified as they age. The severity of your loved ones’ condition may cause an occasional urine leak whenever they sneeze or cough. At times, it could be as severe as having the sudden urge to urinate but failing to reach the toilet or potty in time.
When shopping, prioritize getting diapers for adults. Make sure that the ones you’ll get are highly absorbent and one-size-fits-all. Some diapers come in brief style with tabs, making it convenient for strong and agile seniors to wear and take their diapers off without help.
In addition to adult diapers, other incontinence products you can include in your supplies are washable underwear, shields, guards, pads, and special wipes. Also, they’ll need waterproof bedsheets and moisturizing creams to soothe their skin in case the diapers cause them to have rashes and other skin problems.
2. Bath Safety Products
Older adults are more prone to slip and fall when they’re inside the bathroom. After all, slippery floors largely contribute to many accidents involving senior people. And their chances of injuring themselves go higher if their bathrooms are small and they already have poor reflexes. Knowing all these things, you must acquire all bath safety products they should have.
Start with installing safety bars inside the comfort room. Having one can make them safer while they’re inside doing their business. These bars can also make them feel more confident and secure each time they use the restroom. To ensure your grab bars are safe enough, they need to be made from high-strength materials.
Other bath safety products you’ll need for senior care are non-slip rugs, non-skid bath mats, and adhesive tread stickers to reduce the slipperiness of the bathroom floor. You might also want to consider installing handheld showerheads to make it easier and more comfortable for your loved ones to take their bath.
3. First Aid Kit
Having a first aid kit is necessary for every home, especially if there are senior people around. However, the regular kits aren’t enough. You should get ones that are customized specifically for their needs.
As you already know, aging people are more prone to accidents and injuries, particularly if they have limited mobility. Skin tears and falls are just some of the accidents that might happen to them regularly. So, be prepared and equipped with the right supplies for those eventualities.
Having a first aid kit can save you time and money since you no longer need to rush your family member to a clinic or hospital to get their mild injuries treated. If you have no idea what their first aid kit should contain, check the list below:
- Roller and adhesive bandages
- Instant cold compress and antiseptic wipe packets
- Sterile gauze pads and adhesive cloth tape
- Non-latex gloves and tweezers
- Hydrocortisone ointment and aspirin
If they have any illness that requires special treatment and medication, don’t forget to fill the first aid kit with those, too. For example, if your senior family member has asthma, make sure there are extra inhalers and other quick-relief drugs in stock that they can use for emergencies.
Conclusion
Senior people have gone through so much in the course of their lifetime. Now that they’re aging and past the prime of their lives, it’s your turn to care for them and show them how important they are to you and your family. Giving them a comfortable, happy, and dignified senior life is something they’ll appreciate.
Aside from making helping them pursue daily habits to maintain their health, you also need to ensure your home is equipped with the right supplies to make senior care more flexible and hassle-free. Refer to the list above if you need a starting guide on the products you need to buy for senior care.
