Blog

When Housekeeping is Too Much for Aging Adults

September 21, 2018
Jack Nicol
With some elderly adults who are dealing with illness, injury or age-related conditions, it can be very difficult to keep the same levels of strength and stamina that they did when they were younger. Basic housekeeping tasks that didn’t require much effort before are now laborious and even exhausting. In some cases, when seniors have poor vision, weakened muscles, bad balance and more, they have no choice but to let housekeeping go.

Family caregivers must observe their aging relative to see when they’ve reached the point where they are not able to take care of the housework themselves. Hiring an elderly care provider is one of the best ways to ensure the aging adult receives daily care and their home does too. Besides helping seniors with self-care tasks like bathing, dressing, grooming, meal preparation and transportation reminders, elderly care providers can incorporate light housekeeping into their list of services.

It’s important to remember that elderly care providers are not maids and their housekeeping services should be limited to tasks directly related to the elderly adult. Most in-home care companies include light housekeeping such as dusting, vacuuming, laundry, sweeping, doing dishes, clearing clutter and watering plants. They do not include washing windows, yard work, snow removal, moving furniture, deep cleaning cabinets or drawers, or maintenance work.

Another thing to remember is that elderly adults often want to remain as self-sufficient as possible. Sometimes they don’t like it when people come to their home and start doing everything for them. It’s difficult to come to terms with losing independence. That’s why a professional elderly care provider will allow the elderly person to do as much as they can on their own.

For example, the elderly care provider may wash all the laundry, but then set the aging adult up on the couch with the laundry next to them to fold. Another example is when the elderly care provider vacuums the floor well and then gives a feather duster to the aging adult to do their part. The more chores that seniors can do to take care of their home, the more pleased they feel about age and disability.

Creating a schedule is important when it comes to working with an elderly care provider. Some seniors may only need them a few days per week for some light activities, while others may require a daily presence. Regardless, the elderly care provider should spend the majority of their time interacting with the elderly adult.

Many seniors feel helpless when it comes to taking care of their home. They know they can’t do it themselves, but are reluctant to turn the responsibility over to someone else. Light housekeeping is important for maintaining an aging person’s clean and tidy home, but it should not take the elderly care provider away from their client for long.

If you or an aging loved one are considering elderly care in Loxahatchee, FL, contact the caring staff at BrightStar Care of Jupiter. Call today (561) 741-1200.