5 Tips For Spring Cleaning A Senior’s Home

Spring Cleaning Provides a Fresh Start to the Season

It may not quite feel like it yet, depending on where you live, but Spring 2015 arrived on March 20^th. It’s time to watch the flowers grow and smell the sweet scent of freshly cut grass. Time to open the windows and let fresh air into your home. It’s also time for a good spring cleaning.

If you’re a caregiver for a senior loved one, here are 5 tips for helping spring clean their home: 

1. Schedule It
   Just like a doctor’s appointment or other important commitment, block off time in your schedule that you can devote to spring cleaning. You may want to knock everything out in one weekend, or you may want to take it one chore at a time over several weeks, fitting it in when you have time. Either way, consider it time well spent with your loved one.

2. Make a Checklist
   Write down everything you and your senior loved one would like to get done. Tasks may include washing windows and curtains, wiping out the refrigerator, scrubbing the floor, etc. Be sure to include the following tasks to reduce senior safety hazards:

• Clean out the medicine cabinet and dispose of expired medications or those no longer prescribed
• Throw away any expired food
• Replace batteries in smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors
• Remove clutter from walkways
• Replace light bulbs if necessary and ensure rooms and hallways are adequately lit
• Get rid of throw-rugs to eliminate tripping hazards
• Consider installing grab bars in the bathroom

3. Enlist Help
   Make it a family affair. The more the merrier and the quicker you can get the job done. If you can’t convince family members or friends to lend a hand, consider hiring help. A professional caregiver can assist with laundry, dusting, vacuuming, and other housekeeping tasks.

4. Involve your Senior Loved One
   It’s important to keep your loved one engaged and feeling useful, no matter what his or her limitations. If it’s not easy for Mom to get around, hand her the silver polish and silverware. Or give Dad a stack of papers to go through while you take care of the rest of the home.

5. De-Clutter, then Clean
   Seniors who have accumulated a lifetime of belongings often have so much stuff that it clutters the house and makes it difficult to clean, much less live safely in. Don’t just clean around the piles — tackle them first. But, be careful not to get trash-happy. Be sure to handle the clutter in a diplomatic manner.

 

Finally, be sure to address any problems you uncover while cleaning. You don’t want to see the fruits of your labor reverse back into a mess in less than six months. If you discover your loved one has piles of unpaid bills, expired food in the pantry or hasn’t been cleaning up after the pets, perhaps it’s time for some extra help around the house. If you decide in-home care might be the answer, contact Alternatives for Seniors. They can assist you with locating the help you’re seeking.

 

Alternatives for Seniors is a print and online directory that specifically caters to the housing and personal care concerns of senior citizens and their families. Need assistance locating a senior residence or care? Call our Senior Specialists at (888) WE-ASSIST (888-932-7747) or visit the Alternatives for Seniors website to begin searching for the perfect home or care for you or your loved ones. Also, be sure to join our Facebook community and follow us on Twitter and Pinterest.

 

BLOG Date: Thursday, March 26, 2015
Writer: Ryan Allen