Many seniors live alone without any problems. However, this isn’t always the case. Aging brings with it many challenges and a person’s ability to care for themselves may decrease over time, to the point that living alone becomes dangerous.
This is why it’s so important for you to have a checklist for elderly living alone. Adult children can use such a checklist to make sure their aging parents are still doing well and taking care of themselves.
A good checklist will highlight critical areas for you to keep an eye on, ones that you can look at discreetly. For example, a fridge full of out-of-date food may suggest memory issues. If the senior appears to be eating some of this out-of-date food, their health may be even more at risk.
The Purpose of a Checklist for Elderly Living Alone
Why might you consider this type of checklist? Here are a few reasons.
They Help You Keep Track
Sometimes issues with seniors living alone are obvious, like when they have a fall or aren’t eating well. Others are much easier to miss. A checklist helps make sure you don’t miss issues simply because you’re not aware of them.
Plus, with a list you fill out, you can track changes over time.
You might fill out the list every month or two, then look back at the end of the year. Do the number of issues increase as time goes on? If so, a change in living situation might be needed.
They Highlight Areas Where Change Is Needed
Checklists can help you solve problems, as they show you the specific areas that your aging parents are struggling with. For example, if the house is regularly unclean, but there are no other serious issues, your parents might not have the energy or enthusiasm to clean regularly. Hiring a cleaner once a week could make life much easier for them and less stressful for you.
Similarly, if the senior isn’t showering often, you could look into ways to make showering easier. Even a simple shower stool can make the world of difference, as standing in the shower can become difficult.
They Show When Living at Alone is No Longer Safe
If the checklist regularly reveals multiple issues, despite your efforts to find solutions, it might not be safe for your parents to live on their own anymore.
Your notes on the checklist might even help to convince them of this, as you can clearly show where they’re struggling and why their current situation isn’t working for them any more.
They Help You Share Responsibility
Checklists also allow you to share the responsibility. Your siblings might use one each time they visit your parent as well, making issues much easier to spot.
Perhaps you could compare notes every few months and see whether there are underlying patterns. Doing so is a great way to get family members involved, making sure that they’re aware of any issues early on.
They Can Be Used Discreetly
You could print out a checklist, bring it into your parents’ house and fill it out for each visit, but doing so probably wouldn’t go over well. Most parents would feel like you’re interfering or even being neurotic.
Thankfully, you can use a checklist discreetly. The easiest way is to read over it before you visit your parents and fill it in afterward. You might not remember to look at every thing on the checklist, but that’s okay, you should still get the gist of it.
Plus, if you use the same checklist regularly, it should get easier to remember the items over time.
Kapok’s Checklist: Red Flags to Spot when Visiting Aging Parents
While there are many types of checklist for elderly living alone out there, we wanted to develop our own – one that’s specific for adult children checking in on their aging parents. The checklist is relatively short, just two pages, which makes it easy to follow. It features all the most important questions, along with space to write your own.
Red Flags to Spot when Visiting Aging Parents
Once you’ve reviewed the checklist, we encourage you to visit us again to help you in the next steps. We have a comprehensive collection of tips and articles to help you and your parents explore how to age at home safely.
When you notice it’s time to reassess their living arrangement, you can review our articles on housing options. Maybe this involves exploring the pros and cons of aging in their own home, senior apartment, assisted living, moving into a nursing home, or looking into a retirement community.
Perhaps you see the benefits of a multigenerational household and want to weigh out the pros and cons of moving a parent in with you, and what to expect when doing so. If you’d like to learn more about affordable housing options, check out Kapok’s Guide to Affordable Housing for Seniors.
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