When a loved one becomes frail, one of the first signs they could be unsafe at home is when they are at risk for falling. You may recognize this risk several ways, including holding on to furniture to get around the house, bruising on the knees or wrists indicating prior falls, or walking around less frequently. Here are a few tips to avoid these falls:
- Remove rugs to prevent tripping. Set up a “shoe station” by the door that is out of high-traffic areas for guests to leave their shoes (and their mess).
- Make transitions easier. Install grab bars by the bed, the shower, the toilet, etc. to assist your family member in transitioning from standing to seated and back up again.
- Help with tasks that require long periods of standing up. Cooking and bathing are a few that immediately come to mind. Do meal prep activities with your loved one and task them with the jobs that can be handled while seated, such as chopping or stirring. Prepare the meals together and then parcel them out into meal-sized servings for quick heat and eat.
- Help from an in-home care agency. Consider paying for care by an in-home care company, especially to help with the tasks like bathing and dressing. These tasks are often risky for falls, and they are rather intimate activities. Because of this, many seniors are unwilling to receive help – which is understandable! However, if they are willing, having a professional handle these tasks allows family members to maintain normalcy to their relationship with the elder family member. We could all use a little normal these days!
From my observations of client experiences, the clients who are willing to receive care in their home generally get to stay home longer. It is most often a fall or an illness that lands a client in the hospital, then to rehab, and sometimes they must continue to receive care in skilled nursing if they are unable to regain their strength. If those falls and major illnesses can be prevented with routine caregivers providing assistance with activities of daily living, medication management, and generally keeping an eye on their client’s overall health, the senior’s quality of life, independence, and ability to live in their own home has a greater likelihood of being preserved.
Generally, Medicare and Medicaid do not assist with paying for these in-home caregiving services. There may be short-term outpatient services that are covered, but they are not available for long-term supports. The only public benefit that helps pay for in-home care is the VA Pension. If your loved one is a wartime Veteran, or the surviving spouse of one, I can provide a complimentary assessment of their eligibility for the VA Pension. Reach out to Van Osdol, P.C. to schedule your assessment.
By: Maureen D. Lester, JD
Elder Law; Special Needs Attorney
Van Osdol, P.C.