Home Sweet Home: How to Help Older Adults Live Independently FROM THE PUBLISHER
As baby boomers, many of us will face the difficult decisions associated
with the caretaking of our aging loved ones. Often it seems as if there are no
options to even make a decision. Our loved ones' safety comes first, and their
homes gradually become difficult, if not impossible, to manage. Eventually we
are forced to consider the alternatives.
What if a simple trip to your local home improvement
center could make it possible for your aging parents or relatives to stay in the
home they love? Sound too easy? It can be that easy, according to Dennis La Buda
and Vicki Schmall, authors of Home Sweet Home: How to Help Older Adults Live
Independently. Specially
designed devices and modifications in their home
can help your loved ones maintain their independence, with a minimum of
risk.
We often wrestle with the staying at home option versus encouraging our
loved ones to move to an assisted living facility as an all-or-nothing
decision. Because we worry for their safety, and often feel responsible if
an accident should occur, we encourage them to move where their needs will
be taken care of in a safe environment. However, say La Buda and Schmall,
living independently can become a more comfortable decision when we explore
the modifications that can be made to a home to accommodate an aging person'
s special physical needs.
Home Sweet Home
, winner of a national award by Mature Media, travels
step-by-step through a typical home, pointing out potentially dangerous
areas for seniors. It gives simple explanations of how to "senior proof"
these areas with tools and gadgets that can most often be purchased at your
local hardware store. The book explores the five areas that most affect
people's ability to care for themselves: basic self-care; meal preparation;
communication and mobility; home maintenance and safety; and leisure and
recreation. Samples of home modifications that can be made include:
Switching door knobs to levers, which are easier to manipulate
when you have decreased dexterity
Installing grab bars in bathtubs or showers
Purchasing dressing aids such as zipper pulls and long-handed
shoehorns
Using "reacher" sticks to retrieve lighter items, such as bags of
cookies or chips, from shelves
Mount drawers under kitchen cabinets for easier access
In addition to physical needs, Home Sweet
Home
also provides guidance in
addressing the emotional needs of our older loved ones with sensitivity.
"Plan with, not for, the person!" advise the authors. "No adult likes to
have decisions made for him or her. Remember that your family member has the
right to make choices - to take risks - as long as his or her mental
capacities are intact and others are not endangered."
LaBuda and Schmall conclude Home Sweet Home
with a comprehensive resource guide of services, products and information to
make living at home easier and less dangerous for your loved ones. From visiting
nurse services to adult day centers and home-delivered meals, they direct the
reader to the many resources available, and how to locate them.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
This is the guidebook for the elders in your life today, and for
yourself in the future! — Patricia A. Moore, gerontologist and designer;
Grounded in ergonomics and provides a basic blueprint to help the
designed environment accommodate older people. — Sara J. Czaja
Practical information about simple, attractive and inexpensive
devices to make your living space more comfortable, easier and safer to
use.
— Jon Pynoos
Sheets
It is comprehensive, clearly written, well-organized, and
beautifully illustrated. —
Home
