Taking care of the elderly can be a bit like looking after young and curious children - you’ll need eyes in the back of your head and the capability to see through walls! Whether the elderly person that you’re taking care of is mentally or physically disabled, your main concern is their safety. However, unfortunately for you, this is very rarely their primary concern. Individuals with dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease, for instance, don’t have a sense of their very own mortality whatsoever. They are mentally incapable of thinking through the dangers of any situation and therefore are neither logical nor reasonable with their thoughts. Because of this, you have to be concerned about their safety enough for you and them all the time.

Within the home, you ought to make all the necessary amenities accessible to the senior in your care without exposing them to any danger. It is comparable to baby proofing an area when you have a toddler walking around. The elderly individual that you look after may also be into everything if they’re mentally handicapped. People within the latter stages of dementia may wander continuously and refuse point blank to sit down. In the event of this occurring, you ought to remove all tripping hazards such as mats and small units that they could trip over. You should also avoid having any open heating devices such as electrical fires because these could potentially cause more trouble and destruction than they’re worth. However, your bathroom really should be available to them at all times, as should an appropriate spot to sit in the event that they exhaust themselves.

If a person is physically disabled, then you should permit them to rest in the most appropriate spot in the room, granting them access to their source of entertainment as well as warmth. However, you shouldn’t cut them off from any source of communication because if they need you and cannot reach you then they may attempt physical feats that are beyond their abilities. This could cause falls. You must also ensure that they are safe within their chair or bed, having the appropriate rests on either side of them in order to avoid slipping and falls.

If you take your elderly charge out and about then you definitely ought to have the same type of measure in place simply because you need to fully concentrate in order to anticipate danger before it genuinely happens. Take every step slowly and do not hurry a person with a disability. It may cause them to panic and fall, or create a scene. Always make sure that they’re warmly dressed if it is winter and also have layers on if it is summer and always attempt to follow their wishes. If a physically disabled senior does not think that he or she can handle the activity that you propose then you’ll most likely be informed of that fact. However, you have to assess the abilities of a mentally impaired individual to be able to make an educated decision about whether your suggestion is appropriate or otherwise not.

Regardless of whether you are looking after an elderly person in your home or on an outing, you should always keep in mind that there’s one key to the entire process of assuring their safety. Communication is that key. If your senior cannot tell you whether or not they feel safe, you should be in a position to identify any signs of distress or fear effectively. If you can get to the point where you can achieve that, then you should feel confident in your role as guardian and protector of their safety. This is not an excuse to have a lax view of their personal safety because, regardless of how safe that you may think they are, you will usually be proved wrong as soon as you begin to let your guard down! Maintaining the safety of an elderly person in your care is a 24-hour job and you ought to always work hard at it.

These are interesting points we wrote in our post, but it isn’t the only place to find this information.  We have found other articles like this one about senior care that you may find useful also.  If you liked the post please share it with your pals on Twitter.