Most people break at least one bone in their life, and as a person gets older, the risk of breaking a bone increases. Bones usually become less dense as an individual ages, making it easier to fracture or break when injured. These broken bones then often take a lot longer to heal in the elderly, meaning your loved one with a broken wrist or broken collar bone is going to need some consistent care, in-home occupational therapy, and help around the home for a while.
Where and How Your Senior Will Need Help
Depending on which bone or bones were broken, you will need to assess how your senior will need assistance at home while recovering. You might find it easier to have your elderly loved one come and stay with you as he heals.
If that’s not possible, and he wants to stay home, you should consider having an in-home care provider visit him regularly to help with some of these tasks and provide in-home occupational therapy to recover faster.
Cooking and Meal Prep
Whether it’s a fractured wrist, a broken ankle, or a broken rib, standing up in the kitchen and preparing a meal is going to be tough for a while. Even if generous friends have provided plenty of frozen meals that just need to be heated up, getting them out of the freezer, into the stove, and then cleaning up afterward may be too much for your loved one.
In-home care providers can help make sure he can enjoy meals and not worry about the clean-up afterward.
Pet Care
If your loved one has a pet, he might be unable to take the dog for a walk or clean out the litter box while his broken bone is healing. A neighborhood friend or family member may be able to help take the dog for daily walks or clean up after any other animals while your loved one is healing, but make sure not to forget about the care needs of those pet companions while your loved one is healing.
Home Keeping
Inside and out, there is a lot to do to keep the home clean and safe. Your loved one may need help with laundry, vacuuming, and making his bed. If he has an outdoor living space, he might need help with lawn care or shoveling snow in the winter.
Having someone lined up to help in these areas that generally don’t need daily attention but still should be done regularly can help your loved one resist the urge to try to take on these projects while healing.
Physical Healing
Finally, your loved one needs the ability to focus on his physical healing by following the doctor’s orders to give his body the best chance of a full recovery from the break. Most likely, he will need to complete some type of in-home occupational therapy. Having in-home occupational therapy by a trained occupational therapist can be a great way for your loved one to learn how to reuse his injured area in his home.
In-home occupational therapy lets your loved one and his therapist determine the best solutions to the barriers he has at home. The in-home occupational therapy provider can also help your loved one’s in-home care team know what to expect and how to help your loved one with any struggles he may be having.
If you or an aging loved one are considering In-Home Occupational Therapy in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, please contact the caring staff at Actify Home Care today at (954) 902-6049
Actify Home Care provides exceptional home and facility care for anyone in Broward County, including Ft. Lauderdale, Hollywood, Pompano Beach, Parkland, Sunrise, Plantation, Weston, Pembroke Pines, Tamarac, Coral Springs, Miramar, Florida, and surrounding areas.
We offer services all around the South Florida area, if you have questions for us or don’t see your area listed just ask, we’d be happy to help. Contact us today!
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