Elder Care Observances: Multigenerational Care during Baby Safety Month
August 19, 2015
Elder Care in San Mateo CA
Multigenerational care is a growing trend in elder care. Many family caregivers are choosing to transition their elderly loved ones into their homes to offer them the care and assistance they need
on a daily basis while also caring for their children. This type of care arrangement enables the elderly adults to receive an ongoing, personalized, and consistent level of care, spend quality time with their adult children, and build strong relationships with their grandchildren. For the family caregiver, this arrangement eliminates the need to travel back and forth between the homes, ensures their aging parents have care 24 hours a day, and gives them greater confidence that their elderly loved ones are in good hands.
Whether you offer your aging parents all of the care and assistance they need or have developed a care team that includes an elderly health care services provider who provides support during the day when you are not available, multigenerational care can help you to create a strong family unit while ensuring all of the generations of your family stay healthy, safe, and comfortable as they move through life.
This September, ensure your home is ready to provide multigenerational care that is safe and effective for all members of the family by observing Baby Safety Month. This month-long observation is the ideal opportunity for you to educate yourself on common household hazards and how you can modify your home to keep both your young children and your elderly adults safe.
Use these tips, and share them with your aging parents' elderly health care services provider, to make meaningful modifications to the home throughout Baby Safety Month and the rest of the year:
• Remove clutter. For babies, clutter can pose a choking hazard, as well potential poisoning dangers. For seniors, clutter can be a tripping hazard as well as increase risk of allergy irritation, asthma, and illness due to dust and bacteria buildup;
• Eliminate button batteries. Button batteries are those tiny circular batteries common in household items such as watches, smoke detectors, electronics, and even some older toys. These tiny batteries are easily swallowed, at which time they break down due to stomach acid and can lead to death. Get these batteries out of the home and replace items with newer versions that use regular cylindrical batteries;
• Close the dishwasher. One household hazard that is often overlooked when creating a safer environment for both babies and seniors with cognitive issues is the dishwasher. An open dishwasher can be a tripping or bruising hazard if your parent or child walks into it, but even more dangerous could be what is inside. Detergent, sharp implements, and even food residue can lead to serious injury or illness for curious children or seniors with cognitive limitations;
• Unplug chargers. It is very common for people to leave their cell phone or tablet chargers plugged in at all times. This, however, can be extremely dangerous for both adults and children. Chargers can be an electrical risk as well as a strangulation hazard. Be sure to unplug all chargers whenever they are not in use to keep the home safer and to save electricity.
If you or an aging loved one are looking for elder care services in San Mateo, CA, please call Familiar Surroundings Home Care. Call today!
Santa Clara County: (408) 600-2760
San Mateo County: (650) 458-0140
Santa Cruz County: (831) 325-0890 Bottom of Form