What You Should Know About the Elderly Living Alone…

As you grow older, where would you want to live, in a retirement community, with your children, or would you prefer to age in place (live in your own home)? This is a big question that most seniors will have to face, and it’s a difficult decision, especially if the senior is already living alone for whatever reason.

There really is no general right answer, everyone has their own set of circumstances, so the decision needs to be well thought out.

A large number of seniors, even those who live alone, don’t want to leave their home for a senior community, but is living alone the right thing for them to do? There are so many things to consider.

And here is the scary fact, approximately 51% of seniors who are 75 years or older, live alone… giving up the independence they have had for so many years is a hard thing to accept, they want to be treated like a capable adult and they still feel like they can handle things themselves, and maybe for a time they can, but…

There are dangers for seniors who live alone…

Let’s talk about the obvious dangers first:

• They are at higher risk for so many situations –
  • Falling or injuring themselves and unable to get help – one elderly woman fell outside on her porch while she was alone, bruised and cut badly, because she clouldn’t get up on her own, she had to lay there until a neighbor heard her feeble cry for help.
  • Not recognizing the symptoms of an illness or disease, and then suffering a stroke or heart attack and unable to get help. This is a dangerous situation.
  • Often the memory of an elderly person is less than reliable and they are at risk of accidentally overdosing on their medications, because they forgot they had already taken them.
• Oftentimes a senior either forgets about meals or is uninterested in eating, which can lead to malnutrition. Many seniors live on limited budgets, so they may not have any food in their home or they are unable to get out to the grocery store to pick some up, which also leads to poor eating.
• It becomes more difficult to clean up their homes, which can become dirty and unhealthy.

And now, some not so obvious dangers of seniors living alone; for the most part, human beings need to interact with other human beings – family and friends.

• For many seniors, it’s either difficult to get out of the house, or they have simply become complacent and are happy to just stay at home where they are comfortable. This leads to social isolation which…
  • can reduce their life span by increasing their risk of illness, heart disease, high blood pressure and cognitive brain deterioration – dementia
  • they have a greater chance of becoming, not just sad, but truly depressed, lacking energy, appetite, motivation, concentration, interest and joy
  • along with depression, they can develop anxiety with symptoms such as shortness of breath, nausea, dizziness, insomnia, numbness in their extremeties, heart palpitations and more
  • they can develop other unhealthy habits such as poor hygiene

My advice is to always move while you are still in control. Being able to make the choice yourself of where you will live, deciding what to do with your possessions, and deciding when to move all help to ensure you have a smooth transition.

If it’s time for a senior you know and love to enjoy the benefits of a senior community, please give us a call whether you need resources to get started or need move management assistance.

We are Certified Senior Move Managers recognized by our National Association of Senior Move Managers, NASSM! We are committed to serving our seniors with a high standard of ethics, best business practices and continuing education to help make whatever transition they are going through a Smooth Transition.

Contact us to learn how we can help you and/or your family cope with a senior downsizing anywhere in the Phoenix East Valley area. We would love to serve you.