Welcome to my series on practical ways to help the elderly. You can read the introduction here. It will open in a new tab/window.
This is the 8th article in the series of practical ways to help the elderly.
In this post I am talking about the elderly who battle financially, not those who can afford to live in fancy retirement estates or live in comfort with their family.
The cost of living has risen and pensions have not increased. Many elderly have previously supported their children at the expense of their own financial needs. Covid played havoc with job losses. Children of elderly parents battled to support their own families and had to invest in the necessary technology to allow working from home and home schooling their children.
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- Written by: Pat Pughe-Parry
Read more: Help the elderly eat better and live with dignity
Welcome to my series on practical ways to help the elderly. You can read the introduction here. This is the 7th article in the series of ways to help the elderly live better.
In this post, I am focusing on cellphones.
We live in a Home for Senior Citizens with residents between the ages of 55 to 95. Technology is probably the most frustrating, overwhelming and scary aspect of getting old.
Loneliness and not being able to keep in touch with our loved ones in an emergency, or just to chat is unbearable.
Up until recently one of our residents, who passed away at the age of 86, used to visit Dave and I daily to ask for help with her phone. It was a 20 year old Nokia phone and she used it primarily to phone her bank to do banking transactions. The operating system no longer updated and she couldn't make calls or send an sms.
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- Written by: Pat Pughe-Parry
Welcome to my series on practical ways to help the elderly. You can read the introduction here. This is the 6th article in the series of ways to help the elderly live better.
Whether your loved on lives on their own, with family, or in a Senior Citizens Home, you need to make sure their environment is as safe as possible.
In this post I am going to talk about fires.
Load shedding has forced many elderly residents who live by themselves or in facilities where they are responsible for their own care, to become more vulnerable.
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- Written by: Pat Pughe-Parry
Welcome to my series on practical ways to help the elderly. You can read the introduction here.
This is the 5th article in the series of ways to help the elderly live better.
Whether your loved on lives on their own, with family, or in a Senior Citizens Home, you need to make sure their environment is as safe as possible. In this post I am going to talk about falls.
The elderly are more prone to falls due to:
- Vision problems
- Getting up too quickly, or after a hot shower, they may feel dizzy and unstable
- Poor lighting in a room
- Tripping over objects that shouldn’t be there.
- Trying to lift heavy objects.
- Falling over their pets.
- Their leg muscles become weaker and they stumble and can’t avoid falling.
- They may lose feeling in their feet due to neuropathy. This is often a consequence of diabetes.
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- Written by: Pat Pughe-Parry
Welcome to my series on practical ways to help the elderly. You can read the introduction here.
This is the 3rd article in the series of ways to help the elderly live better.
There are a number of reasons, the elderly may let personal hygiene slip
- Depression and Loneliness
- Loneliness
- Chronic Pain
- Financial difficulties
- They have always had a partner to look after them
All of the above are very valid reasons and here are some suggestions as to how you can help the elderly in your family or community maintain personal hygiene and their dignity.
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- Written by: Pat Pughe-Parry
Welcome to my series on practical ways to help the elderly. You can read the introduction here.
This is the 4th article in the series of ways to help the elderly live better.
Keeping the elderly physically safe and secure is a probably the biggest and sometimes the most frustrating task for a carer. It is such an important topic that I am breaking it down into smaller articles.
The elderly fear losing their independence and some fear looking weak. There are elderly folk where we live who refuse to use a walking stick, walker or wheelchair which makes it very difficult for the carer.
Because we live in a facility that requires us to be self sufficient, some oldies are scared of being told to move to an assisted living environment which they won’t be able to afford.
They also don’t want to be a burden on their families. By refusing to use a walking aid they are putting themselves at risk of falls.
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- Written by: Pat Pughe-Parry
Welcome to my series on practical ways to help the elderly. You can read the introduction here.
I have chosen Compassion as the theme to kick off the series of daily posts. The Right Rev Mariann Edgar Budde made a direct plea at the national prayer service at Washington National Cathedral on 21 January 2025 to President Trump to show compassion and mercy towards migrants and marginalised people.
The Oxford English dictionary defines Compassion as "The feeling or emotion, when a person is moved by the suffering or distress of another, and by the desire to relieve it."
I had asked our residents on our Whatsapp group for suggestions on practical ways to support and enrich the lives of the elderly, regardless of whether they live alone, with their children or in a senior citizens home. One of our residents posted the above article which I believe if very relevant to the elderly.
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- Written by: Pat Pughe-Parry
