As seniors age, their mobility often decreases, making it challenging for them to maintain a clean home. Many seniors also live alone, which can further complicate housekeeping tasks. However, they may benefit from breaking tasks into smaller, manageable pieces or by hiring professional cleaning assistance. Regardless of the approach, maintaining a clean and safe home environment for your senior loved one is essential. In this discussion, we’ll explore the importance of a clean and tidy home for seniors and offer tips on how to organize and preserve this cleanliness effectively.

Why should a senior’s home be clean?

Maintaining a clean home for your elderly loved one is essential. It not only ensures their comfort but also promotes their health and well-being.

Here are some reasons why seniors must keep their homes clean:

Prevents Falls

Clutter on the floor can pose a significant tripping hazard for your senior loved ones, particularly in dimly lit rooms. To prevent falls, it’s crucial to eliminate potential hazards like shoes in the entryway or any other items scattered on the floor. Consider organizing these items using hooks, shelves, or storage containers to create a safer environment.

Removes Germs

Maintaining a clean house is essential for removing germs and keeping the environment healthy, especially for seniors who may struggle with household chores. Consider purchasing a cleaning robot to assist with this task. Reducing microbes in the home minimizes bacterial growth. Simple practices like regularly wiping countertops and cleaning the stove and sink after cooking can make a big difference. Bathrooms should be cleaned frequently and equipped with anti-slip mats to ensure safety when entering and exiting the shower.

Helps to Improve Their Mood

Removing clutter, dust, and debris from your senior loved one’s home will help them feel more comfortable. When they have a clean environment, they will feel calm and happy. Therefore, there are psychological benefits to keeping their home tidy.

Home is Welcoming to Guests

Strong social connections are vital to seniors’ health, and a clean, inviting home can play a significant role in facilitating these connections. A well-maintained, clutter-free living space makes it easier for seniors to welcome visitors and enjoy social interactions. Conversely, a messy or dirty home might deter them from having guests. Therefore, maintaining a tidy home encourages sociability and enhances overall well-being.

Keeping a Senior Loved One’s Home Clean

Most seniors today are choosing to age in their homes as opposed to going into an assisted living or nursing home facility. It is important to keep their home clean so they can stay healthy as they age in place, and their home can be inviting and comfortable for themselves and their guests. Here are some tips for keeping a senior loved one’s home clean:

• Put together a cleaning schedule:

Start with making a list of all the things that need to be done in the home. Once you have the list, figure out a day when each task can be done. Depending on the time you can allow yourself to do these tasks, you could do it in a few days or spread it out over the course of a few weeks.

• Ask your family to help:

If you have relatives nearby, you can ask them to help clean your loved one’s home and spend quality time with them. This way the cleaning will go faster, and you can delegate tasks. Each person that helps can own a task or you may figure out who can do which task on which day. You can also do it all together, which may be more fun, and your senior loved one may enjoy having all the family in their home.

• Put aside an entire day:

If you choose to do all the cleaning at once, you should put aside the entire day because you may run into small tasks that you have not accounted for. This includes moving furniture, cleaning behind large objects, taking things off the shelves etc. Reserving enough time will allow you to do a thorough job so that your loved one can have a clean and safe home.

• Remove clutter:

Before you begin decluttering, it’s important to have a conversation with your loved one about their belongings. Go through these items together to ensure they keep any that hold sentimental value.

• Have your loved one do low-impact tasks:

Even though your loved one may not be able to do heavy-lifting, bending, or reaching to help clean, they can still help you with low-impact tasks. It may be as easy as dusting off items while sitting in a chair or helping you decide what to throw out and what to keep. This will allow them to feel useful in this process.

• Hire outside help:

If you are unable to keep your loved one’s home clean, you may need to hire outside help. You can work with a local cleaning company that provides light housekeeping services or hire a home caregiver that can come to the home and wash dishes, take out the trash, clean the bathrooms, and vacuum. Hiring a home caregiver is an excellent option if your loved ones could also benefit from personal care and assistance in their home as well as some companionship.

• Take your resources into consideration:

If you are unable to provide a healthy and safe space for your senior loved one, make sure to reach out to local senior organizations to help guide you with available resources.

Professional Senior Care Services

As more seniors are choosing to age in place during their golden years, it is also common for them to gradually lose the ability to properly take care of their home. Chronic conditions and physical limitations can make it difficult for seniors to do actions like bend and reach which may be required to clean and maintain their home. However, if the home is not cleaned, this can lead to a dangerous and unhealthy environment.

By following the steps outlined above, you can help your elderly loved ones keep a clean home. If your loved ones could benefit from personal care as well as help around the house, professional home care services may be the best option.

Assisting Hands Home Care offers complete in-home care services that include personal care and assistance as well as help with light housekeeping tasks to keep the home clean. As our licensed caregivers help your loved ones with their personal care needs and tasks around the home, they will also be a companion to them, providing them with meaningful socialization.

If you have senior loved ones who could benefit from professional home care in the Las Vegas, NV area, give us a call at (725) 696-9942.