An organized home becomes increasingly more critical in senior years, but it’s not necessarily because of a preference for a tidier living space. Dependable organization systems can be the difference between a successful home and one that requires assisted care. When organization methods are safe, predictable and easily accessible in daily routines, homes become easy to navigate and even easier to respond to when the unexpected occurs.
Thus, it’s especially important for family members and caregivers to understand the difference that organization systems for seniors can have beyond typical organization systems. These systems work in tandem to promote physical, cognitive and emergency safety all at once, making aging in place easier than imagined.
Crucial Systems for Medication
One of the most essential organization systems in the senior home revolves around medication. When there’s an unorganized approach to medication, people miss doses or take multiple doses. There’s confusion and incorrect prescriptions that lead to unnecessary emergency room visits. It’s not complicated, but an unplanned approach over time creates chaos.
The weekly pill organizer is still the best option for most seniors, but which kind and how they’re used is imperative for success. Large compartment organizers make the most sense when someone has arthritis or problems with eyesight, while those who require multiple doses throughout the day need organizers with multiple compartments for day divisions.
An ideal location is a medication station in the kitchen or bathroom, where everything health-related can come together. A list of current medications, emergency contact names and numbers, health insurance account numbers, etc. should all be on or within the same vicinity of the medication in question. This eliminates confusion should anything require in-the-moment recall from medical responders.
Intentional Systems for Emergency Preparedness
Systematic emergency preparedness promotes stability and avoids lives becoming upended by last-minute efforts. It’s better to have supplies and contacts accessible rather than hidden away.
Emergency contact names and numbers must be posted at designated locations around the house; inside a drawer somewhere won’t do anyone any good. The refrigerator, beside the main home phone (if one still exists) and at the front door’s eye level are all optimal locations for seniors and emergency responders to easily access.
Many seniors take the time to look into life alert for elderly Canada and understand how instantaneous response systems can operate alongside their natural lives. The more systems integrated into daily routines, the easier it is to ensure awareness and reliability should anything occur.
Again, this works best when systems are established in a way that deems them part of regular organizational solutions instead of overwhelming others; for example, if emergency preparedness materials are accessible to anyone at any time without a second thought, half the anxiety is gone before it can even set in.
Kitchen Systems that Make Sense
The greatest area of concern is often the kitchen; however, efficient organizational systems can make kitchen safety seamless to continued independence. The best way to establish safe systems is by ignoring traditional kitchen organization considerations and creating alternatives based upon accessibility.
Heavy items must be stored waist-level or below; doing so requires unanticipated reaching which can send one falling or lifting weights that may injure the back. Frequently used items should exist between shoulder and waist height so they can be accessed without bending or stretching; this makes the most sense when decades-old arrangements are forced to change.
Clear containers work best for those with vision impairment—no one wants to guess what they’re looking at in a jar. Accessible lights over work areas are just as important as they can encourage cuts and burns if someone cannot see what they’re doing.
Kitchen fire safety deserves special mention in the senior kitchen; keep pot holders accessible—no hanging them up out of sight—so they aren’t forgotten amidst flames. Smoke detectors need battery changes as needed and fire extinguishers should always have signs promoting their easy access if necessary; with proper organization, most kitchen fires will never happen in the first place.
Bathroom Safety through Organization
The two areas of concern within bathrooms are wet surfaces with hard edges and privacy—thus, successful systems of organization cater to these two qualifiers while saving respect and dignity.
Shower organization should focus on what makes sense when standing on a slippery mat. Grab bars don’t just assist individuals who need help getting up or turning around—they help promote a safe, predictable routine. Shower seats are just as important not just as safety equipment, but as an organizational tool to make bathing less physically taxing.
Medication organization comes into play strictly because most people keep medicines within cabinets but humidity and even toilet flushes make these spaces useless. Unless the person is stable enough never to leave a bathroom, medications should be kept in cool, dry locations outside the bathroom for maximum effectiveness.
Accessibility extends to towels and washing items—for avoiding mold or mildew isn’t about cleanliness for appeal; it’s about respiratory viruses and falls because people are slipping on moisture or reaching too far behind a cabinet for something they haven’t been able to wash properly.
Adaptable Over Time
The best systems are ones that change over time because what works at 65 likely won’t work at 85. Thus, building in flexibility from the start prevents issues down the line.
For example, there may be a unique storage solution that makes sense for now but can easily transform in five years’ time. Systems need to be universal whether family members or caregivers step in or if downsizing comes into play—routines need to be easily understood by all.
Reviewing systems over time help maintain their purpose; what begins as a simple filing system may turn into an information management system as needs become complex.
Ultimately, when systems integrate seamlessly into daily lives like any other organization benefit—a tidier home—then having them is easier than anticipated and those aging in place find themselves comfortable in their settings without worrying how to make things work instead.