After surviving the dreary lull of winter, the sunshine and warmth of spring can feel intoxicating. For seniors at home, that breath of fresh air can mean that it is time for a spring cleaning — literally. Michael Baillie, an Executive Home Care franchisee for Southern Ocean County New Jersey, can help with that.
“A lot of our clients who have accumulated things over the winter can hire a service like us to come in and help them declutter and clean the home,” Baillie told McKnight’s Home Care Daily Pulse. “The majority of our clients are in-home receiving non-medical services such as bathing, dressing, hygiene, all the activities of daily living, in addition to the personal care aspect.”
On top of providing cleaning and companionship, caregivers also assist with transportation to and from checkups. Baillie recommends doing a checkup in the spring when the weather is more accommodating to travel. An added bonus from Executive Home Care caregivers: They can sit in on appointments to make sure nothing gets lost in translation.
“It’s important to get these checkups because [caregivers] want to get routine blood work. We want to see their primary care physician once or twice yearly just for those physicals [to see] if there’s any sort of decline, in weight or in memory loss, etc.” Baillie said. “A lot of [our clients] who do not have family that are local [so] we can go with them and be the eyes and ears for them.”
Spring is also a great time to stay active after being trapped inside during the winter months. Baillie says exercise, such as walking, does not need to be strenuous but it should be done on a routine basis to improve strength.
“Most people have short living areas, especially in those 55 and older communities where the stretch of a walk is 50 feet,” Baillie said. “Go outside and have those long extensive walks as long as [patients] can handle it and have somebody with them following with a wheelchair. We’re not talking about lifting weights or anything like that, just a nice quiet walk. If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it. So even if they’re not getting out daily and doing these things, it’s very important that they do it at least three to four times per week.”
Not only should seniors be physically active but socially active as well. With more people out and about, Baillie suggests making time with family and friends out in the sunshine. It may seem like a small thing to do, but it can make a big difference for a senior’s mental health.
“Watching the kids run around outside brings cheer to the elderly; maybe visitors from their family can come over more often now,” Baillie said. “Some holidays are coming up, which is nice. Easter Sunday is always a great holiday for them to spend with their families. I just think that good weather brings better times for people.”
Home Sweet Home is a feature appearing Mondays in McKnight’s Home Care Daily Pulse. The story focuses on a heartwarming, entertaining or quirky happening affecting the world of home care. If you have a topic that might be worthy of the spotlight in Home Sweet Home, please email Special Projects Coordinator Foster Stubbs at [email protected].
