As a caregiver, you want to ensure that your loved one has the best quality of life possible. However, when your loved one has limited mobility and can no longer safely access different areas of their home, their quality of life inevitably falters. Even with assisted living programs, it’s still crucial that seniors use mobility aids to help them maintain their independence.
Finding the best mobility equipment to fit a senior’s home, mobility needs, and lifestyle is no simple task, though. This blog will detail the most important factors to consider when choosing mobility aids for seniors.
Identifying Mobility Needs
The first step to choosing a mobility aid for your loved ones is to identify their mobility needs. Whether your loved one has suffered a significant injury, has a medical condition, or needs general mobility assistance, each of these circumstances could affect what mobility aid will be the best equipment to improve their lifestyle.
It’s also essential to have a personalized view of your senior or loved one’s mobility needs. Consider what areas of frustration your senior experiences the most often while trying to access different areas of their home. Noting whether climbing stairs, navigating the bathroom, or just getting out of bed affects their mood could help to narrow your focus on the best mobility aid to purchase.
Considering Living Space
When it comes to finding mobility equipment for seniors, factoring in their current living space is a major consideration. Caregivers commonly buy mobility aids based on a senior’s mobility needs but forget to factor in their living space.
For example, what is the current floorplan of your loved one’s home? What areas of your loved one’s home are the most in need of mobility equipment? How much room will your loved one’s home have for a mobility aid?
Contemplating each of these questions is essential. Installing mobility equipment in a cramped floorplan could ultimately be more dangerous than helpful to seniors. So, it’s crucial to ask whether your loved one will have a better quality of life with assisted living or in a retirement community.
Consider having this conversation with your loved one to find the best living situation to support their health and independence.
Finding a Mobility Equipment Supplier
Once you’re confident about finding mobility equipment that fits your loved one’s needs, it’s time to find an equipment supplier. Trust and transparency are two of the most important qualities to look for in a mobility equipment supplier. Since you’ll be helping your senior adjust their lifestyle to using completely new machinery, you must feel comfortable asking your mobility supplier questions and feel confident about their answers. Mobility equipment suppliers should visit your home to take measurements for your equipment and have factory-certified technicians create personalized mobility aids.
Before choosing a mobility equipment supplier for your loved one’s mobility aids, ensure that you trust your supplier. Taking time to find the right fit for both you and your senior will make the installation process of these aids easier.
We hope this guide on the factors to consider when choosing mobility aids for seniors has been a beneficial resource. As a caregiver, it’s never easy to watch your loved one struggle with their quality of life and independence.
Following this guide and taking time to find the best equipment to fit your loved one’s mobility needs will be instrumental. Once your senior has more access to their home and less frustration tied with their mobility, they can begin to comfortably regain their independence.