Elder Care in Fishers, IN – Get Organized and Reduce the Amount of “Stuff” Your Elderly Loved One Has Laying Around the House

One of the most common traits that Americans have is their ability to collect materialistic things throughout their lives. The more years spent living in the same house, the more ‘junk’ a person will acquire. For an elderly individual who has been living in the same house for 20, 30, 40 years or more, they have probably built up a lot of stuff.

This can complicate their life in numerous ways. It can also make it much more challenging to provide proper elder care for them, when it is necessary.

The risks of accumulating a lot of stuff.

There are many health and safety risks of having a lot of stuff lying around the house. The most significant of these for the elderly is the risk of tripping and falling. As people age, their body changes. Most of the time those changes are associated with reduced muscle strength, balance, and mobility. It is much more difficult for an elderly individual to walk around their home than it is for a much younger adult. If they have boxes of items, extra pieces of furniture, chairs, and a host of other things scattered throughout all of their rooms, this increases the risk of falling.

It can also make it much more complicated to try and find the more important things they might need at any given time. When a person is disorganized, it can take a lot more time, energy, and be more physically exhausting to sift through a ton of boxes, to move things around, and to even try to remember where something might be.

Take steps to remove excess stuff in the house.

Seniors should take steps to begin going through all of the stuff they have accumulated over the years and prioritize that which is most important to them. Some people are considered hoarders which will make it much more difficult for them to eliminate stuff from the home. If that’s the case, and they know that the elder care they are receiving is being compromised by having so much extra stuff, they can rely on a good friend, family member, or even a neighbor to help them determine which items are simply not necessary any longer.

The more organized and de-cluttered a seniors home is, the less likely they are to suffer a devastating fall or other injury. An organized home also makes it easier for a home care provider to assist them with all the things they need help with.

The caregivers at Great Care are available to talk with you and your family about all of your home care needs. Great Care is an elder care agency providing quality and affordable elder care in Fishers, IN and the surrounding areas. Call (317) 595-9933 for more information.