Guide for carers of people with mobility problems

As we age, most of us will suffer from mobility issues or require additional help in our homes. Carers or friends, or family members who opt to care for a loved one are there to help and aid people with daily chores and tasks like shopping, cooking and cleaning, but being a carer can come with additional pressures and responsibilities. In this guide, we run through some tips and guidance for those caring for people with mobility issues, from home improvements you can do to the home to adjusting work schedules and creating free time. Keep reading to find out more.

Tips for carers of those with mobility issues:

• Understand the situation
• Think about adjusting your schedule if possible
• Get extra help if you need it
• Think about home adaptations

Understand the situation

First and foremost, if you’ve taken the step and have decided to become a carer for a friend or a loved one with mobility issues, then it is crucial that you understand the situation and really analyse the issues you are going to be facing on a daily basis. Mobility issues come in all different forms, and someone with more severe mobility issues will need more care and assistance than someone with milder issues. Try and establish the sort of help they need, what sort of time this is going to require from you and also, as the person you are caring for, what their wishes and thoughts on the situation are. Asking for help or allowing someone to help you can be a big step for many, so be as understanding as possible and make sure you keep them at the forefront of your mind when you’re making decisions.

Think about adjusting your schedule if possible

If you have decided to become a carer, then it may also be true that you have had to cut back hours at work or potentially go part-time in order to do so. For many, looking after a loved one takes priority, and that, therefore, might mean losing some of your free time to make sure you are prioritising time to offer care.

If you’re unable to take extra time off work, then it might be a good idea to come up with a schedule that works for you and the person you are caring for, making sure they know on what days you’re going to be visiting and at what times.

Get extra help if you need it

If you are unable to take time off work or offer your loved one the time and attention they need, then there is no shame in having to ask for a little extra help. Hiring a professional carer means you can share the care with another person, meaning you don’t have to feel guilty for the time you can’t spend with your loved one. For those with more severe mobility issues, a full-time carer may be a better option, and then you can relax knowing they are being looked after all day and you don’t have to compromise on your own free time and working hours.

There are a plethora of trusted companies around the UK that are on hand to offer advice and support and to pair you or your loved one with a friendly carer who can help them stay as independent as possible in their home.

READ MORE: How to look after older people in your community

Think about home adaptations

If one of the things you worry about is the safety of your loved one in their home, then it might be worth looking into mobility aids that can be installed around the home to offer a little extra help and safety. Mobility aids can range from small home additions like grab bars and rails for the bath and shower and extra railings on the stairs to home lifts and stairlifts.

Stairlifts come in all shapes and sizes, meaning there is a stairlift to fit every staircase, no matter the shape, from straight stairlifts that travel up and down a straight staircase to curved stairlifts that can travel around staircases with corners, as well as spiral staircases.

Stairlifts are the perfect addition to a home and can offer an extra piece of mind to friends and family who may be worried about the safety of a loved one. Stairlifts allow you to travel up and down the stairs from a seated position smoothly and safely without extra assistance; swivel seats allow you to get on and off the stairlift safely at the top and the bottom of the stairs.

If you know someone who has mobility issues or could do some extra help around the home, this guide has given you some tips and guidance on how you can help them. For more guides and articles like this, then make sure you head to our blog section.