Between mobility issues, medical conditions, poor eyesight, and lack of energy, housekeeping for seniors can be very difficult. Even the most basic of chores can become more difficult as we age.
Does your senior loved one struggle with keeping their house clean? If so, there are several ways that you can help them.
Before you create a plan for helping your loved one with their housekeeping, it is important to understand the benefits of a clean and orderly house for seniors.
Benefits of Good Housekeeping for Seniors
Seniors need clean and safe living environments. Having good housekeeping helps seniors to be able to stay in their homes.
An orderly home makes it easier to move around and ensures there are no safety hazards for tripping or falling over clutter. They can relax without the stress of a messy home.
According to the CDC, social isolation is very prevalent in seniors, with nearly one-fourth of adults aged 65 and older considered socially isolated.
Both having friends over and going out are important to avoid social isolation. Seniors may also feel more comfortable inviting friends over if their home is clean. Good housekeeping also ensures they will always have clean clothes to wear so they can go out.
Your loved one having a clean living environment also provides peace of mind for their family and friends.
Helping your parent with the housekeeping maintains their quality of life and safety.
How You Can Help Your Loved One with Housekeeping
There are several things that you can do to help your loved one with their housekeeping.
Talk to your loved one and make a plan
Before you do anything else, you should talk to your loved one about the situation. Talking to your parent about their housekeeping can be an uncomfortable conversation. Still, it is important that you include them in the process to reduce their anxiety and help them avoid feeling like a burden.
Some things to focus on in the conversation are:
- Emphasize how much you care about them and any concerns you have for their safety or quality of life.
- Ask them what they need help with.
- Discuss having family help and ask who they would like to help.
- Frame you coming over to help with managing housework as you wanting to spend more time with them.
- Focus on all the ways that having help with the housekeeping will benefit them, such as helping them stay in their home and having one less thing to worry about.
When you talk to your loved one, make a to-do list together of what needs to be cleaned, organized, thrown out, etc., and pick a time that works for both of you to start working on the list.
Focus on safety first
When you start helping them with their housework, you should always begin with any safety concerns.
Check smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Replace lightbulbs so they can properly see where they are going. Clear cluttered spaces, especially hallways or doorways, and secure loose rugs or mats to reduce the risk of your loved one falling and injuring themself.
Go through the CDC’s Home Fall Prevention Checklist to make sure that their home is safe.
Do their laundry
Doing a load of their laundry whenever you visit can be an easy way to help your loved one out.
Declutter and organize
It can be hard to begin cleaning without first addressing the clutter. Going through and getting rid of things can take a lot of time and energy. Add in that sentimentality can make it even more difficult to get rid of things, and it can be an overwhelming process. This is why people can end up with years worth of accumulated things that they do not want, need, or use.
Go through these things with your loved one and get rid of things that are just taking up space.
After you declutter, organize things by keeping things that are needed frequently, such as breakfast foods or hygiene products, within easy reach. Make labels for things, including containers in the refrigerator or on the shelves.
The time spent now will make it much easier for them to find things and clean in the future.
Create a Schedule
Establishing a housekeeping schedule for the elderly can help them remember to do things and break things up into manageable tasks.
Set weekly routines to help them pay bills, run the dishwasher, do laundry, take out the trash, or anything else that they need to stay on top of.
Show them easy ways to clean up
Once you have helped them declutter, organize, clean, and set a schedule, go over some easy ways for them to clean up after themselves.
This could include:
- having wipes in a set location so they can wipe down surfaces
- making an area where they can sort their mail
- adding a chair in the laundry room
- moving things to areas that they can access without bending or reaching
- adding more garbage cans throughout the house
Go through all the things that they have problems with and brainstorm creative solutions.
Hire additional help
If your loved one needs frequent help to keep up with housekeeping even after you declutter, set a schedule, and brainstorm, then hiring additional help may be the best option.
Consider hiring additional help if:
- you can’t visit your loved one regularly enough to help keep their home clean.
- your loved one doesn’t like relying on you or is too proud to admit to you when they need help.
- you have too many things on your plate already or need a break from caregiving duties.
Another thing to consider is how much time you spend cleaning instead of spending quality time with them.
Hiring a professional gives you one less thing to worry about and one less responsibility for both you and your loved one.
You can hire a cleaning service for a deep clean, or you can save money and hire home care.
Our caregivers can visit your loved one as much or as little as needed to help with light housekeeping, meal prep, running errands, and medication compliance. We can also check on your loved one, help them move around, and provide companionship.
What is considered light housekeeping for a caregiver?
Light housekeeping is housekeeping that covers cleaning up after oneself.
Services offered include:
- Doing laundry
- Washing dishes
- Cleaning counters and tables
- Cleaning bathrooms (including scrubbing toilets and the bathtub)
- Sweeping and mopping
- Vacuuming
- Dusting
- Shopping for and preparing meals
Light housekeeping is not full housekeeping which covers services like cleaning carpets or windows, but it can be used when seniors just need some help cleaning. They can pick which tasks they need help with, and our caregivers will ensure the tasks are done the way your loved one prefers.
If you are interested in more information about our home care services, give us a call today at (831) 708-2876 or reach us online!
One Response
Thank you for sharing this blog.