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Today, it’s not so uncommon to hear about the elderly living alone. Their children usually move because of work, and they help their aging parents financially. However, once your parents are in their eighth decade of life, should they live alone?
An 80+-year-old parent shouldn’t live alone. However, this doesn’t mean you have to live close by, as there are professionals who can take care of your aging parent. Some reasons why an 80+-year-old parent shouldn’t live alone are challenges with walking and health issues such as Alzheimer’s.
In this article, I’ll go over the reasons why your parents over 80 shouldn’t live alone. I’ll also mention what you can do to ensure your elderly parent is safe living alone. There are many options you can consider, so keep reading!
Why an 80+-Year-Old Parent Shouldn’t Live Alone
Aging parents usually need constant attention – emotional and medical alike, and the older they get, the more attention they need. However, they’re often reluctant to admit their dependency, so they choose to live as they lived when they were still young. Therefore, they often insist on living alone, without any assistance from anyone, which can be a problem.
In the following sections, I’ll go over some reasons why letting our elderly parents live alone can do more harm than good.
Elderly Parents Can Have Trouble Walking
One of the most problematic things about elderly parents living alone is their reduced ability to move around. Combine this with weaker muscles (that are another sign of aging), and you get possible fall injuries. Not only do our parents become slower – which becomes more prominent for people over 70, but they also lose balance.
Being unable to walk properly won’t only lead to fall injuries but reduced movement even around the house. Now, imagine your 80+-year-old parent living alone and trying to carry something up steep stairs. Usually, they simply need someone to be there for them when they need something in another room or part of the house.
If your elderly parent has problems walking, I recommend you check HONEYBULL Walking Cane from Amazon.com. This cane is foldable and perfect for almost any surface because of its pivot base.
Elderly Parents May Struggle To Socialize With Others
Another by-product of the inability to walk very far is a radical drop in your parent’s pool of friends and acquaintances. They’re quite literally stuck between their own four walls, unable to visit other people.
Before you start thinking it’s not the worst thing in the world if they can’t see their friends whom they used to see for decades – think again. Lack of socialization not only goes against our human nature, but it can also lead to mentally related health issues (but more about that later).
Elderly Parents Are Often Low on Energy
Being alive for over 80 years is a huge milestone, but it can wear a person down. When it comes to age and energy, once you’re past 50, they start moving in opposite directions. Every task becomes cumbersome, and every activity ends in long naps. This doesn’t sound like a big deal, but there are some negative side effects here as well.
Constant low energy levels are usually a sign of some health issues. Additionally, insufficient energy means that our elderly parents can’t do too many things on a daily basis. Their routine revolves around how tired they are – which is a lot usually. So, it’s a vicious circle of not doing anything due to low energy and having low energy because of doing nothing.
Low energy can also lead to reduced healthy habits such as moving about or socializing.
Elderly Parents May Not Be Able To Take Care of Their Hygiene
Hygiene’s an essential element of everyone’s life. From the moment we wake up, all throughout our day, and before we go to bed, we find ourselves in some form of our hygienic “rituals.” For the elderly, however, hygiene stops being a priority.
While it’s true that many older people don’t take good care of their hygiene, it’s usually because of some underlying problem rather than laziness. Lack of energy or forgetfulness certainly contributes to this issue. So, leaving your 80+-year-old parent to live alone will most definitely mean a reduced self-hygiene level, which brings other health hazards.
Elderly Parents Often Have Health Issues
Leaving an 80+-year-old parent to live alone without any health supervision is never a good decision. Our bodies at that stage are extremely frail and susceptible to countless health-related issues.
I mentioned problems with walking, which is a sign of declining physical health, but mental health is reduced significantly too, where the main issues include:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Alzheimer’s
What To Do If Your 80+-Year-Old Parent Is Living Alone?
I’m not saying you should leave everything and change your life to be there with your elderly parent, as not everyone is in the position to drop everything to be there. However, you can always consider alternatives if you aren’t living close to your parents or need extra help.
Check on Your Elderly Parent As Often as Possible
Let’s face it, some parents are stubborn, so they refuse to move to be closer to you and don’t want to go into a nursing home. Some parents can live on their own even when they’re past 80 years old.
In that case, you don’t have to move and can visit your parent from time to time. Plus, you can always check on them via video calls.
Consider Moving Closer to Your Elderly Parent
If your parent is over 80 years old, chances are you too are close to retirement, or maybe your job allows you to live far away from work. So, the best option might be to consider moving closer to your elderly parent. In that case, you’ll be close if they ever need you for various tasks.
However, note that you shouldn’t devote your life to taking care of your elderly parents. I’ve discussed the limits in another guide. Should You Give Up Your Life to Care for Elderly Parents?
Hire a Professional To Take Care of Your Elderly Parent
Perhaps your elderly parent is adamant about living alone. In that case, a great way to provide some company for socializing or medical supervision is to hire a home care worker who’ll come to your parent’s home and help with everything your parent might need.
Hiring a professional not only helps your elderly parent with anything they need, but it will also give you peace of mind knowing your parent will have someone there for them consistently.
Conclusion
If you’re living far away from your 80+-year-old parent and you’re not sure if you should let your parent live alone, remember that there’s professional help available.
Having a home care worker care for and check in on your 80+-year-old parent is always better than leaving them alone, as they’re more prone to falling accidents and mental health decline at their age.
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