Boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) are rapidly reaching that age where they’re in need of home healthcare. These people are our mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and extended family. With 74.9 to 82.3 million boomers in the United States (some demographers consider the start year as 1943 accounting for the wide gap), it’s clear as to why we see such an uptick in this need for healthcare. The industries are using advancements in technology to create quality-of-life products and services to make these later years easier on the daily routines.
We as children or grandchildren of these individuals want to know they are in good health both physically and mentally. They were there to take care of us when we were young, so now it’s time for us to take care of them when they are old.
This article will share product and service suggestions to help improve the boomers in retirement and what we can do to help them adjust to these advancements.
Suggested Items for the Elderly
First, let’s talk about the products and services that improve the quality of life for these individuals:
Mobility – Mobility products such as a scooter or lift chair are two great items that will help them with the troubles in getting around. We recommend taking some time to learn how to choose a stair lift to match their needs and future, potential mobility problems. This goes the same with scooters and other people movers.
Communication – It gets lonely as you age because there are fewer peers (not to mention if family rarely visits because they have their own lives). Help your loved ones by teaching them how to use social platforms like Facebook on devices such as a phone or tablet – ones that are difficult to mess up – so they can get in touch frequently.
Exercise – Low-impact exercise is vital to keep the elderly population active and healthy. These individuals can’t do the extreme workouts like they did in their youth. Products like a sit-down exercise bike or apps like a 7-minute yoga workout are just enough of a challenge to improve their physical health without endangering their bodies. Not sure what to get them? Talk to a medical professional or browse through elderly gift suggestions to deliver them something helpful and fun.
Helping them Adjust Now that you’ve set them up with a phone or tablet to help them stay in touch, let’s help them understand how to use the products and services.
Patience is key
It may take a few tries before they’re able to get a grasp of the item or service; stick with it and reinforce their understanding one step at a time. Your best bet is to go through the manual to help show them how to use these items and so they’re able to reference the material afterward.
Another suggestion would be to condense the tutorials into simple, visual step-by-step guides.
Lastly, encourage them to join local groups that are using and discussing these items. Here they will understand why these items matter, how to best use them, and help them find suggestions for other resources that you may not have known about. It’s a great way to get them social, too.
Conclusion
Caring for an elderly loved one can be a difficult task considering the little experience we tend to have in this sphere. Yet, we’ve progressed as a society to provide an ample number of products, services, and educational resources so we, non-medical people, can help. Sit down and talk with your aging loved one and see how you can help with their daily activities. Remind yourself how they cared for you and how that may warrant the purchase of these helpful resources to make their lives easier and more fulfilling.
What about you? Have you cared for an elderly loved one? What products or services would you recommend?
