The Beatles song about when I get old has the line in it “Will you still love me when I’m 64” and back in the 1960’s when they wrote it I don’t suppose they thought about old age, wheelchairs and being confined to your own home.
Like lots of older people I grew up with Rock and Roll and the Beatles but never thought that one day I would be old and restricted in what I can do but unfortunately we all get there eventually. I am fortunate that I have a lovely wife who looks after me so well but I am still restricted in my walking and have to use a walking stick because of my arthritis and a wheelchair if we are going any where which would need me to walk anything more than a few yards.
There are many people with conditions worse than who have to decide whether they want to stay in their own home or perhaps resign themselves to going into a nursing or care home. Those are difficult decisions but if you need any help then ageuk have just recently produced a series of information booklets about how to make your home much easier and safer to live in as you get older.
ageuk now are able to provide lots of products and services that will help you from stairlifts through to incontinence pads all of which are able to help you stay in your own home longer. The series of informative leaflets though talk about things like getting home safety checks done, for instance your local fire brigade will always be happy to come and check your existing fire alarm and replace it if it is faulty or fit one for you normally free of charge if you do not have one already. Always nice for the ladies to have a fireman in uniform about the house.
These leaflets will also tell you basic rules about safety in the kitchen, that probably we all know, but do not practice properly through years of taking items for granted. It is sensible to check your plugs make sure all the wiring is still in good condition, switch off those not in use. More importantly though is if you have someone you know and love who is getting older perhaps cannot walk as well as they used to then you need to make sure that door ways are kept clear that there is nothing left in the hall way for them to trip over.
One of the most dangerous things for the elderly is the use of rugs, they make the home seem warmer and more comfortable some how but for a person with a walking difficulty or with bad eye sight they can be a real hazard. Health visitors and district nurses will always advise you to get rid of them. They are also impractical if you have somebody living at home who needs a wheelchair around the house.
With so much more to tell you about safety around the home we will develop over the next few weeks the information we can supply you and will discuss such things as how you can adapt your home to help with your progression into old age, trying to guide you to the right places to seek help from, it is possible the local council will be able to help with grants towards this sort of work.
We will also talk about care at home and which agencies are best suited to help with your needs and at some point offer advice on staying safe in your home. It is always best if you can continue to live in your home with your memories and your friends and family around you and we hope that we here at mobilitysavingexpert can be of great use to you in achieving that.
Mobility Products4U are celebrated wheelchair suppliers in UK, find them here: www.mobilityproducts4u.org
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