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What are your tips for staying independent at your own home?
Aging Well | Last Active: Nov 1 12:41pm | Replies (187)Comment receiving replies
-Zero clearance shower, that is, one you can step into, not into a bathtub/shower.
-Arrange for a cleaning service if you feel you do not have the strength/ability to keep things as clean as you want them. And do this before it gets out of hand!
-Make sure you have adequate lighting for all tasks, so you are not straining, or being unsafe in doing tasks.
-Make friends in your neighborhood/community. Isolation is a very real thing, and keeping in communication with others is important for mental wellbeing.
-Try simplifying your life. What you do for entertainment, how you spend your money, how much you want to do. It's okay to not go 100 miles per hour all the time!
Ginger
Replies to "-Zero clearance shower, that is, one you can step into, not into a bathtub/shower. -Arrange for..."
Call a homecare agency to help you. There are many agency's available. Medicare helps pay for the hourly rates.
Medicare Coverage and Home health services https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/home-health-services
Please note: A homecare agency needs to be Medicare certified in order to have some of the services covered. Be sure to check if Medicare covers costs of the home health services you wish to use.
I have also reduced the number of items on display, so the house is less distracting and there are fewer items to manage. Measure your interior doors and hallways to see if a wheelchair or walker will be able to be used to go in and out of the room. We had many doors replaced, and I wish I had thought of that. We purposely bought a house that is single level.
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@gingerw absolutely!
I can see the “handwriting on the wall” unfortunately, I am going to have to make some adjustments soon. I love living by myself. The freedom is invaluable to me. So I am going to be extremely upset if I have to change my living arrangements.
I already have a walk-in shower with grab bars.
I just started using a walker sometimes and a few of my doorways are too narrow so I’m banging the molding up.
I live in a one story condo, no stairs, and no outdoor maintenance.
I can keep a cleaning schedule for myself. If I do just one extra thing each day, everything will get done. It’s just me, so the condo stays neat.
I use grocery pickup and delivery services.
I shop mostly online.
I live in a 55+ community that has lots of things to offer but I generally stick to my block of nice neighbors.
I have started 2 hobbies over the last 3 years. I paint, and work 1000 piece jigsaw puzzles. I was diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment a few years ago so those activities really keep my brain busy.
I’m working on a Worldwide Ancestral Tree (Wikitree) There are over 30 million people around the world who contribute to this project. I also have my family tree on Ancestry. I’m usually up until about midnight working on those projects.
So, I keep busy all by myself. Some days I’m a little lonely, but most of the time I’m too busy to notice!