According to a recent survey, one in three of the elderly living in the United Kingdom has complained of feeling lonely. You might be inclined to linking their loneliness to a lack of friends, family, or people around them in general. That is, in fact, not the case.
The truth is that in most scenarios, the elderly have lived a pleased, fulfilling life – filled with people left, right, and centre. However, it’s a fact: Life goes on, people keep gaining speed.
As you grow older, your speed dwindles further and further until you realise you aren’t running anymore. You’re walking briskly or maybe just dragging your feet along. Would anyone slow down for you?
This is the scenic description of the statistic mentioned above – people don’t slow down. This leaves the elderly feeling unneeded, unwanted, and thus lonely.
What Is Elderly Home Care?
People in the United Kingdom aren’t unaware of the fact that loneliness is becoming an endemic with an increasing number of people having been shut to their houses for weeks on end.
This isn’t solely linked to emotional disturbances. There are chances that their lack of support, in general, might be a problem for their health.
For example, imagine an older man or woman who needs help with basic needs such as bathing, cooking, or dressing. Their age is becoming an increasing factor that prevents them from doing what others would consider necessary.
Thus, the establishment of elderly home care. This is a service rendered by many companies across the United Kingdom – and increasingly in the world, whereby companies offer dedicated staff to spend hourly or round the clock services to the elderly.
Services might be assistance in basic needs, domestic needs, or just fellowship and companionship. All of these services are availed by people who have chosen not to go to retirement homes and would much rather spend their living moments in their home, their sanctuary.
The Difference with Personal Home Care
These companies don’t solely offer their services to the elderly. They aid anyone living in a situation that might not be synonymous with ‘normalcy.’
The term is used pretty loosely here. Normalcy isn’t limited to those in their twenties. People with an able mind would be normal. However, the name used in this context is synonymous with the independence to complete basic needs.
Adapting Homes
One way to help the old or the disabled is to adapt their living situations in such a way that they could get on about their day with ease. The need for fellowship is still there, but their reliance should be reduced to a considerable extent to make them feel more independent.
Let’s face it; we crave independence, and being old or disabled shouldn’t take it away from us. Hence, occupational therapists all over the country are implying their strategies to help people consider options to improve their living situations.
Necessarily, it’s their job to help adapt home situations for people with disabilities or a lack of motor skills to carry out day to day functions. They consider factors such as wheelchair dependency, bathroom tasks, house help, and stairs, or other exerting factors.
Home adaptation is manifested with the instalment of ramps, handrails, and medical alert buttons. What are medical alert buttons? Well, they’re alarms that go off in their houses that signal hospitals, emergency service providers, or friends and family that they require immediate medical assistance.
These are just some of the things to consider. The person themselves can likely give you the best indication as to things they are struggling with mobility-wise at home, and either you or the occupational therapist can then think of creative ways to help them out with their situation.
Emotional Assistance
Regardless of disability or ailing health due to age, it is essential to make sure that the person in question does not lose their purpose.
It is alarming to note the number of people who have taken such a toll on their mental wellbeing that they’ve just given up trying at this point. Help the person see how they can live just as much of a meaningful life as the next person regardless of their situation.
To thrive mentally or emotionally would require that the person in question has a stable support system. They must find ways to enjoy their life as well as feel like they can make meaningful contributions to the world around them.
Care For You
At Care for You, we’re a dedicated company operating in Birmingham, the United Kingdom, working with some of the most skilled and dedicated employees with every necessary credential to aid living for the old and disabled. From domestic help to medical assistance to even emotional health – the company offers services of all sorts.
