The benefits of helping your ageing loved one to continue living independently at home

Supporting your loved one to live at home for as long as they are able to can be incredibly beneficial and promote good mental and physical wellbeing.

Here are some of the key benefits of your loved one staying in their own home:

Key benefits of your loved one ageing at home

They will feel happier

The comfort and familiarity of their own home, in which they may have spent a large portion of their life, will enable them to continue living happily.

They may associate it with all sorts of happy memories, and it may be filled with personal items that they cherish and enjoy having access to whenever they want.

They will also feel happier in that they are able to maintain their dignity by doing most things for themselves, rather than relying on others.

They will feel safer

Their home is an environment that they are already very familiar with, including the area and the people in it.

As it’s their own home, if extra measures do need to be put in place, they can be completely tailored to the needs of your loved one.

This will give them the reassurance and peace of mind that their home is as safe as it can be for them to continue enjoying living at home.

They will feel more independent

Most importantly, encouraging your loved one to continue living in their own home gives them independence.

It gives them the freedom to continue doing their daily activities at a time that suits them, including having visitors and going out and about, as and when they want to.

Ultimately, supporting your loved to live at home allows them to feel in control and enjoy themselves.

How can you support your loved one at home?

One of the key drawbacks of your loved one continuing to live at home, particularly if they live alone, is the worry of something happening to them when you can’t be there. For example, if they were to have a fall – how would they be able to get the help they need?

Thankfully, there are things you can consider to make it as easy as possible for them, whilst also giving you peace of mind.

Assistive technology can help your loved one to do particular daily tasks or remotely monitor how they are doing.

Here are a few examples to consider:

• Personal alarms – these can be easily worn around your loved one’s neck or on their wrist with a simple button that they can press to trigger an alert.
• Fall detectors – these will automatically detect a fall and trigger an alert for help, but they can also be pressed manually if other help is required. Again, these can be worn as a pendant or as a watch.
• Home safety sensors – these will monitor certain situations in your loved one’s home to make sure they are safe and will also send an alert if a dangerous situation arises.
• Health and wellbeing sensors – these monitor the health and wellbeing of your loved one and can ensure they are going about their daily tasks as normal.

The technology available to keep your loved one safe isn’t just limited to their home either. You can also keep them safe when they go out and about a personal alarm that also tracks their location and detects falls.

At Progress Lifeline we understand just how important it is for every person to feel valued and respected, regardless of age, gender, or ability. That’s part of the reason that we provide products and services that promote independent yet supported living to those who need it.

If you have any questions about assistive technology and the options available to you and your loved ones, email us at contact@progresslifeline.org.uk or call us on 03333 204 999.