Your Top Guide to Resources for Elderly Adults Living Alone
Written by:
Jeffrey Grossman
Published:
July 29th, 2024
A recent study showed that 88% of adults aged 50 to 80 believe it’s important to remain in their homes for as long as possible. If you’re an adult child with aging parents, it can be helpful to start making preparations early and learn about the available resources for elderly adults living alone.
Seniors living independently face many challenges as they age. As an adult child with aging parents, you want to ensure your parents can safely and comfortably live at home as they age. Thankfully, many resources are available to help seniors living alone—whether that’s help with activities of daily living, safety in the home, or their emotional or mental well-being.
If your elderly loved one is already living alone and you’re anxious about it or you anticipate this happening soon, it’s never too late to start preparing. We understand this can be stressful, and we’re here to help you create a plan.
This article will walk you through:
The challenges seniors face as they age in place
Resources and services to overcome these difficulties
The free Commonwise ReadyCare program
Read on to learn about resources that can aid in helping senior citizens stay safe, comfortable, and healthy while living alone during their golden years.
Major Challenges for Seniors Living Independently
Before we jump right into resources and assistance for elderly adults living alone, let’s first consider some challenges your aging loved one may face.
Safety Concerns
As you think about your elderly loved one living alone, ensuring their safety is probably at the top of your list.
As your loved one ages, the chance of them falling, hurting themself, or having a medical issue greatly increases. Normal tasks that used to be easy, like walking up stairs or driving a car, can become more challenging and pose a risk to your loved one’s safety.
This can be stressful, but don’t worry; many resources are available, and there are different methods to get help for seniors living alone.
Transportation to Medical Care
Aging can lead to more health complications and medications, which could mean increased doctor visits. Unfortunately, for seniors living independently, getting to and from medical appointments on their own can become increasingly difficult.
Without safe and reliable transportation, your loved one will unlikely be able to make it to their appointments consistently. This not only affects their well-being, but it also affects your quality of life. It creates unnecessary worry about your loved one’s health and will lead to you sacrificing other responsibilities to take them to and from appointments.
Ultimately, your loved one will need to get to their appointments, but their transportation needs shouldn’t overburden you. As we’ll discuss later in this blog, there are some great, safe transportation services for elderly adults living at home that can benefit you and your aging loved one.
Isolation and Loneliness
Another challenge for seniors living independently is isolation.
Regardless of age, we all need social interactions with others to thrive. Connecting with others can benefit our mental, emotional, and physical health. But the reverse is also true—the absence of consistent social interaction can negatively affect our health (heart disease, depression, and cognitive decline).
Sadly, elderly adults are often more vulnerable to loneliness and social isolation, especially if their health declines or if they don’t have access to safe and reliable transportation. But keeping your loved one engaged socially with others can promote healthy living as they age. Luckily, there are many ways to ensure a healthy social life for your loved one as they advance in years.
We’ve just mentioned a few of the main challenges associated with aging in place. Now, let’s look at how to help senior citizens overcome these difficulties so they can age safely and comfortably in their home—and give you peace of mind as they do so.
Resources and Services for Elderly Adults Living at Home
It’s important to know the challenges that can arise for a loved one aging in place, especially if you’re trying to plan ahead. However, being aware of the challenges isn’t enough. You also need to know about the resources that can help mitigate those challenges.
So, here are some of the top tips, services, and resources for elderly adults living alone.
Technology Solutions
Technology can play a significant role in maintaining independence for the elderly and can also help provide peace of mind for you.
Medical Alert Systems: These systems can provide an alert in an emergency. There are many different types of devices available. These devices alert medical professionals in the case of your loved one experiencing a fall or medical emergency. Once medical personnel are alerted and arrive on the scene, they can provide your loved one with the help and care they need.
Telehealth Services: Telehealth services provide seniors with access to non-emergency healthcare, allowing them to consult with healthcare professionals via video or phone from their homes. This convenient option ensures that elderly patients receive timely medical advice, follow-ups, and health monitoring without traveling.
Social Apps: Though it’s not exactly the same as sitting in a room together, technological advances have made it easier than ever for people to socialize and stay connected over long distances. Using a mobile phone, tablet, or laptop, elderly adults can make video calls to see, talk, and interact with their friends and family anytime. Additionally, there are many different apps and games that seniors can access and play on their phones or computers. For example, Words With Friends is a popular scrabble-like online game that allows your loved one to have fun with someone else (like a friend or family member) while also encouraging their mental well-being.
Transportation and Delivery: Thanks to technology, new driving assistance opportunities exist for elderly adults living alone. For example, Uber Health allows seniors to access transportation to and from medical appointments. Services like this (and many stores) also offer delivery of items like groceries and medical prescriptions right to your loved one’s door. Getting food and medicine dropped off at your loved one's home can ensure they have their needs met but aren’t in harm's way on the road.
Your elderly loved one may need help with the technology initially, but it could be a valuable asset for their safety, social engagement, and transportation needs as they age.
National, State, And Local Resources
National, state, and local organizations exist to help the elderly living alone. These organizations, programs, and senior-specific spaces offer a range of resources and opportunities for seniors to stay informed, healthy, and active.
National Resources
On a national level, a few organizations that can benefit elderly adults are:
These groups provide various programs, tools, resources, and assistance for elderly adults living alone. For example, an AARP membership can provide your loved one with prescription discounts, Medicare enrollment information, and much more.
State Resources
Most states have a department specifically tailored toward helping senior citizens.
In Virginia, the Division for Aging Services offers various resources for seniors living independently, from help with insurance plans to nutrition programs. And in South Carolina, there’s the South Carolina Department on Aging (SCDOA).
It might be helpful to see if your state has a department and what opportunities and resources they have for you and your elderly loved one.
Local Resources
The surrounding area where your loved one lives may also have specific spaces or opportunities for them to interact with others in the same stage of life. For example, the Friendship Cafes in the greater Richmond, VA area are neighborhood gatherings for older adults. Those who attend receive:
A free meal
Fun and diverse activities
Social engagement with other seniors
Some areas may even offer exercise or educational classes tailored to aging adults.
In-Home Care Services
At a certain point, an in-home caregiver may be one of the best resources to provide support to an aging loved one.
An in-home caregiver is specifically trained to help the elderly loved one in your life. They can assist with tasks like:
Personal care (bathing, grooming, dressing, etc.)
Housekeeping (laundry, cleaning, etc.)
Companionship (simply being with your loved one and keeping them company)
Medication reminders
Transportation to and from the grocery store, medical appointments, or social gatherings
Whether your loved one needs care 24/7 or just a few days a week, their care plan can be personalized to meet their specific needs.
Additionally, in-home caregivers can provide respite care to family caregivers. If you’re caring for a loved one and need a break from the caregiving duties, an expert in-home caregiver can come into your loved one’s home and relieve you of your duties. You’ll then have time to care for yourself and handle other responsibilities while knowing your loved one is receiving the specialized care they deserve.
ReadyCare: The Best Free Resource for Seniors Living Independently
Here at Commonwise Home Care, we know the stress and burden you can feel as an adult child with aging parents. We don’t want you or your aging loved one to be unprepared as they age and their care needs change.
That’s why we started the Commonwise ReadyCare program.
ReadyCare is a series of free resources designed to help older adults and their families prepare to age at home, offering essential information and actionable steps you can take now. The resources available with ReadyCare include:
Workshops (online or in-person)
Webinars
1:1 consultations with a senior care professional
Workbooks
In addition to these free resources, there’s also a paid ReadyCare membership. This membership comes with a comprehensive in-home and health assessment, a long-term care strategy, 90-day check-ins, and access to our in-home care services once needed.
You can contact us online or call us at 833-888-3633 to learn more about who we are, our in-home care services, and the ReadyCare program.