How to Care for Those With Limited Mobility at Home

Caring for loved ones at home comes with its own challenges, especially when mobility is an issue. Ahead, we address how to meet these challenges.

Whether you’re a professional caregiver or someone caring for their own family members, you’re doing something truly valuable. Thanks to you, the person in your charge can stay surrounded by familiar sights and sounds.

But the job isn’t easy, especially if your loved one has trouble walking or is in a wheelchair. But knowing how to care for those with limited mobility at home is far from impossible. With strategy and skill, you can provide your loved one with a better quality of life.

Rearrange the Living Space

Often, it takes a reduction in someone’s mobility to recognize how tricky it is to navigate some home setups. While not everyone can afford more technologically advanced home upgrades like electric lifts, you can try some simple ways to rearrange a space to make it easier to navigate.

• Favor an open floor plan with wide aisles between furniture
• Look for low furniture that’s accessible from wheelchairs
• Put up handrails in areas like bathrooms
• Avoid areas rugs and other tripping hazards
• Set down nonslip flooring

Learn Proper Lifting Technique

The idea of lifting a prone adult can seem like a feat reserved for athletes and bodybuilders. While building up physical strength does help in this endeavor, having the proper lifting technique is also important.

When you lift something heavy—whether a person or an object—you should lift with your legs and not your back. To do this, you must bend at the knees instead of the waist, keeping your back straight. Avoid twisting as you lift.

Invest in a Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle

Isolation is a real risk for people with limited mobility. This can have emotional and physical consequences, from depression and anxiety to elevated blood pressure and even early death. Finding ways to get your loved one out of the house is key. Investing in a wheelchair-accessible vehicle will facilitate doctor’s appointments and errands, as well as social visits and trips to outdoor events.

Focus On Independence

As a caregiver, you know that there are many things your charge can’t do by themselves. But caring for those with limited mobility at home should also include helping them find things that they can do themselves. This will help fight off despair over their condition and keep their minds sharp. A few ways to promote independence include:

• Putting items they use in accessible spaces
• Offering choices whenever possible
• Encouraging them to take part in hobbies
• Using voice-activated technology
• Introducing them to exercises they can do