Tips for Growing Old at Home

Growing old at home, also known as ‘ageing in place’ means being able to maintain your current lifestyle within your own home without going into care prematurely. Everyone understands that leaving the place you’ve lived for however many years can be extremely difficult; you’re leaving behind decades of memories, as well as a familiar local community around you. 

However, with a little bit of help, you can make sure your current home is just as comfortable and accessible as it has always felt. Here are our top tips for ensuring your home accommodates the changes you experience in old age: 

Maintain a close community 

If you’ve always lived with a partner who’s sadly passed away, the twilight years can suddenly begin to feel much more lonesome. That’s why it’s so important to ensure you’re still having regular contact with family, friends or simply other people within your community. As you’re intending to stay in your home, why not have a relative move in to support you? If this isn’t possible, you could also arrange for a carer to pop in regularly and help around the house, as well as keep you company. 

It’s also essential that you continue to build new relationships with friends and neighbours; do some research into local community groups and charities and you’ll be surprised at how many like-minded people there are in your local area. You could also invest in a computer, tablet or smartphone so that you can video call friends and family- seeing a friendly face each day has the same effect even if it is via a screen! 

Arrange reliable transportation 

Growing old at home doesn’t just mean making changes within your property, it also means ensuring you can get out into the world easily. Whether you want to nip to the shops, go to a doctors appointment or visit a friend, travelling can feel all the more daunting when you’ve stopped driving and can’t walk as far as you used to. It’s a good idea to get to know your local public transport links- get a bus pass, write down a local taxi number or even consider a car share service with your neighbours. This way, you can maintain your independence and get out and about with ease. 

Another top tip is to look into regular delivery services - whether that’s food or medicine - to save yourself the unnecessary stress and effort of travelling. There are plenty of meal plan delivery services available for elderly people, ensuring you’re eating fresh and tasty meals without having to get to the shop every day. 

Design and remodel your space 

Finally, you’ll need to make sure your home is still practical to live in, even with developing mobility issues. Fortunately, there are plenty of options available, you’ll just need to take the time to risk assess your home and understand your own capabilities and limitations. For example, you can upgrade to non-slip floors, place handrails around your home and make alterations to your kitchen and bathroom. From walk-in baths to lowered countertops, you can ensure that every room in your house is still functional. 

A major problem for elderly people is getting up and down stairs; that’s why investing in a quality stairlift can really make a difference. A properly installed stairlift will ensure you can grow old at home for as long as possible. 

At Alfix Stairlifts, we help customers ‘age in place’ by supplying, designing, installing and maintaining stairlifts in their homes. Offering both straight and curved stairlifts, our experts can make any property easily accessible, no matter what level your mobility is at. If you’d like to grow old gracefully at home, give us a call today.