General7 Issues The Elderly Might Face at Home When Living Alone

Most people want to continue living independently in their family home for as long as possible. This is understandable, but it’s also important to be aware of the issues that elderly people might face if they live alone. Here are seven key concerns to watch out for with your older relatives: 

1. Getting enough exercise

In order to stay healthy, it’s important for seniors to get some form of exercise every single day. It doesn’t have to be anything intense; even a gentle walk in the park or some strength and balance exercises will suffice. However, it can be hard for people to find the motivation to exercise when they live alone.

2. Eating healthily

Whether it’s because they find it hard to get to the grocery store or cooking for themselves has become more of a challenge, many older people who live alone don’t consume all the nutrition that their body requires. This puts them at a greater risk of malnutrition, particularly because seniors often don’t need as many calories as when they were younger. 

3. Loneliness

Social isolation is a huge concern for seniors, especially those who live by themselves and don’t have family nearby. Loneliness can have an extremely detrimental impact on both mental and physical health, increasing the risk of conditions as varied as depression, anxiety, heart disease, high blood pressure, and cognitive decline. This is why moving to a care home in Epsom with lots of other residents and social activities on offer can be such a benefit to older individuals.

4. Trips and falls

Lots of older people experience mobility problems, which in turn can raise the risk of falling down the stairs, tripping over the corner of a rug, or other similar accidents. You can help with this by clearing away clutter, plugging in night lights, or installing a stair lift. Making sure your loved one wears a panic button around their neck is crucial if they live alone, as it means they can still call for help even if they can’t reach the phone.

5. Medical emergencies

Trips and falls are not the only medical emergency that can befall seniors. They’re also at higher risk of conditions such as heart attacks and strokes. While a panic button is one way to help tackle this, moving to assisted living ensures there is always someone around in case your loved one needs assistance. Even simple tasks such as remembering to take medication (or not taking too much by mistake) become a challenge in old age.

6. Falling victim to scammers

It’s a sad truth that there are people out there who deliberately target the elderly for scams. From pretending to be a reputable company to posing as someone’s grandchild, these unscrupulous individuals will stop at nothing to extort money from the vulnerable – and older people often fail to realize what’s happening. 

7. Trouble completing household chores

Living alone means having to complete all your household chores by yourself, from cleaning the bathroom to vacuuming the stairs and doing the laundry. What’s a simple annoyance when you’re young can become a genuine challenge as you age, which can lead to a decline in both personal hygiene and the cleanliness of one’s home in later life.