by mobilityplus | 6th Sep, 2017 | Inspiration
In retirement, the pressures you faced in working life and bringing up children have now been lifted. Your career has come to an end and your children have their own life with children of their own. Now is the time to focus on you and your dreams. Your time is yours to do with as you wish, and it is important that you do all the things previously limited by your hectic daily life. Here at Mobility-Plus, we’ve put together some ideas for you to think about for your retired life.
Expand your mind
I’ve heard many people throughout all stages of life say that they’d considered changing careers or always dreamed of learning more about a certain topic or activity. Well now you can! You don’t have to focus on work any more, instead focus on the subject you’ve always been intrigued with. There are many short courses or classes you can join from Literature, Arts, Crafts, to computing, there’s something for everyone. All you have to do is type in the class or topic you’d like to learn more about, along with your location, into a search engine and there should be many different options listed for you to choose from. This will not only give you a sense of fulfilment, but also the mind stimulation has huge health benefits.
Days out with the family
Now that your own children have grown up, the 24/7 responsibility of parenting has now officially being passed on. You can now enjoy all the great parts about children without any of the stressful times (and with a full night’s sleep). Embrace this family time and enjoy days out. Go to the seaside, parks, football games, or just stay at home and share your hobbies and fill your home with laughter and memories.
Embrace your hobbies.
Speaking of hobbies. Now is the time to do what you love most, whether that is gardening, cooking or baking, walking or crafts. Keep yourself stimulated mentally and physically by joining a local club where like minded people come together to share tips and enjoy hobbies together as a group. Building relationships with these groups can be a great comfort for people with small families where family interaction is less frequent than others and keeps away the sting of loneliness.
Keep active
It has never been more important to keep active. With your ageing body, it is important to keep your joints and muscles mobilised so that you can keep doing all of the other things for as long as possible. You don’t have to exercise too vigorously to keep yourself healthy. Just ensure that you do something gentle a few times a week to raise your heart rate and improve joint mobility. We’d suggest things like, yoga, power walking, swimming or even gentle cycling. Anything that gets the body moving and your heart rate working. Remember not to over do it though, only gentle exercise.
Relax
Last but not least. Relax! Read a good book, watch a film, go on holidays and enjoy a long soak in the bath with lifetime collection aromatherapy oils. Mobility Plus can even offer a jet spa bath that is like being in a health spa. Let your body rejuvenate and drift off into relaxation. There are also walk-in bath options available to make life that bit easier for those with mobility restrictions.
by mobilityplus | 6th Sep, 2017 | Inspiration
The bathroom can be one of the most accident-prone rooms in the house, and as we get older, our ability to move around with ease and safety is often restricted, making safety in the home a growing concern for many. That is why it is important that we consider adapting the home to meet our needs, and to aid our mobility in the safest way possible, not only for your own assurance, but for the peace of mind of your family and friends.
With that said, choosing a bathroom that suits your requirements and ticks all the right boxes can be a difficult task. There are so many bathroom products out there on the market that can all equally improve bathroom mobility and safety, but how do you choose the features that are right for you and your needs?
Here at Mobility Plus, we provide a full design and bathroom installation service that is bespoke to you. You can chat through your requirements with one of our advisors, and we will do our best to make sure that the process is easy and smooth as possible, with the end result being that you get a stylish and practical bathroom that is also safe and mobility friendly. Whether you opt for a walk-in shower, wet room or walk-in bath, all of which are installed with various mobility safety features that have been designed especially to make your bathing experience seamless again.
Safety features
When thinking about your safety requirements, there are a number of products and features to consider. The first is your bathing access, which shower tray will give you the easiest and safest access to your shower. Do you need level access to allow a wheelchair in and out of your shower or wet room? Is the door or entrance big enough to allow easy access for you? Mobility Plus offers a large range of low level and floor level shower trays and wide opening folding doors to allow you to get in and out of the shower with ease and without risk. Mobility Plus can also offer additional safety accessories such as handrails and shower seats for complete safety and peace of mind when getting in and out.
Versatility
Mobility Plus can also offer a versatile range of bespoke features that not only suit your safety needs but also your individual tastes. Choose your own wall and floor tiles as well as the doors and frames that suit you. They offer a versatile range of full and half height bifold doors that can fold in to allow wider access and also the option for carers to assist when required. There is also the floor level hinged screens or sliding door options that are great for wet room with wheelchair access or very low level steps. Whatever you need there are options that can suit both extreme and subtle mobility circumstances giving you both the space that you need and style.
by mobilityplus | 6th Sep, 2017 | Inspiration
Unfortunately age is inevitable and the older our parents get the more likely they are to require care, if they already need care then it’s safe to say that they could require more of it as they age. Caring for an elderly parent can often be very difficult and stressful, but it’s important to remain positive and remember the reason why you’re caring for them.
Nonetheless, there are some tips and tricks which you can implement in order to keep your life stress-free and to provide them the best care possible.
Remember to Stay Organised
This is a very broad term, but it’s crucial that you stay organised throughout the time you are caring for your parents. This could include taking care of the groceries, keeping track of finances, monitoring medication, and making sure that someone is around in the event of an accident or injury.
Luckily there are many tools which can help us with this task; we have online shopping now and many grocery stores allow us to shop online and save a list of the foods we last ordered, this pretty much takes all the pain out of shopping; there are also many to-do list apps which we can utilise in order to stay organised with the rest of our tasks.
In addition to this, you could come up with a routine if your parents are taking medication or have medical appointments etc. Keep a weekly calendar for the appointments, so you stay on track and know exactly when they are. In terms of medication, you could come up with some sort of system to ensure that the correct amount has been taken; you could keep notes on this or flip the medication bottle whenever a pill has been taken (make markings on the top and bottom).
Maintain Their Well-Being
Above all, the well-being of your elderly parents should be a top priority. This means making sure that their diet is healthy, they are exercising as much as they can, taking medication if necessary and just having a stress-free and healthy life in general.
As a carer you should make it a priority to give your parents the care that they need, but this can be difficult at times; don’t hesitate to get additional aid from a professional carer or a family friend if the job is proving to be too difficult for you, it is completely understandable.
It might be beneficial to call for some extra help around the home, for example you could hire a cleaner once a week, or even a gardener. Just try to limit the trivial tasks and focus your time on caring for your parents.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are numerous steps you can take in order to provide the best caring experience to your elderly parents. However, it is unreasonable to expect you to take care of them full-time which is why you shouldn’t hesitate to ask for additional help from a professional or a family friend if you have to. Put their well-being first and do what you can to provide them with a comfortable lifestyle.
