With the holidays upon us, we can finally catch up with our loved ones and update them with everything that’s been going on in our lives.
But you might notice that your senior family member – parents, grandparents, elderly aunts and uncles – is frailer than the last time you saw them, or they are starting to feel worried about living alone and their health conditions. If so, it could be time to have a conversation about putting in some safety measures in place to ensure they are secure and confident while living alone.
Senior safety should always be a priority, especially as social isolation is happening more and more during the COVID-19 pandemic. But there are things you can do to improve their quality of life, help them feel more connected to their community and enable them to stay living independently for longer.
To help you provide essential peace of mind and care to an elderly loved one during the holidays, we’ve put together our top tips for supporting seniors to feel safer at home and away.
Top 5 tips for helping an elderly loved one feel safer during the holidays
Compact and strong, a keylock offers safe storage of your house keys so carers and emergency services can access your home in the event of an emergency. It requires a code to open.
MePACS sell a durable keylock that has provided many clients with the peace of mind, knowing that their code is kept confidential by MePACS and only given to paramedics who arrive at the premises.
A welfare check service is a great preventative measure to ensure elderly loved ones are feeling well every day and that help is available whenever they need it.
At MePACS, our clients are asked to press the daily call button on the MePACS base unit of their home alarm between 6am and 11am each day to let us know they are up and about.
If a client does not press the daily call button during this time, then our friendly team will call their home phone or mobile and try to speak to our clients personally to ensure they are alright.
Making sure the most relevant contacts are correct and prioritised in our mobile phones, address books or personal alarm system is essential during the holidays, especially when many families are going away for a few weeks and are not close enough to check in on elderly loved ones.
This is an ideal time to call other family members, friends, neighbours or carers and set up a reliable network of people that are available to help your elderly loved one in your absence. It’s also an opportunity for your senior family member to stay in touch with them, even if it’s just for a weekly chat!
Holidays may still be a busy time for medical practices, but regular check-ups with a doctor can ensure your senior loved one keeps track of their medical conditions, is eating well, exercising within their limits and has optimal health overall.
It’s also a good idea to make sure they know their falls risk, and what they can do to reduce it at home and away.
Living or going out alone can also pose a significant safety risk for elderly loved ones. If they have a fall or have an unexpected medical episode, time is of the essence to reduce the impact of pain or injury.
MePACS has over 30 years of experience in safeguarding senior safety with our range of fully monitored personal alarm systems. With a team of trained professionals guaranteed to respond 24/7, our personal alarm service looks out for 45,000 clients including many senior Australians with multiple health conditions, falls risks or in recovery from a medical emergency.
We have Home, Mobile and Watch alarms available to suit the various needs of our clients – whether your senior loved one prefers to spend more time at home or out in the community, a MePACS personal alarm is the ideal safety companion as it is discreet, convenient and enables them to quickly signal for help. Our Mobile and Solo Watch Alarms also have automatic fall detection and GPS technology, so our clients can receive the right type of help fast.
Have a question for the MePACS team? Send us an enquiry through our ‘Contact Form’ in the main menu.
A MePACS personal alarm can help you, your loved one, your client or someone you know feel safer and more independent at home and away. For more information, call 1800 685 329 or Join Now
