Five ways to enjoy winter at home in your old age
A lot of people in their later years begin to worry as the winter nights draw near. The lack of socialising, heating costs and boredom are some of the issues that can be faced. This is a British mentality that has plagued people’s mind-sets for many years.
Thankfully, if you are an elderly person worried about the winter or are relative/close friend, there are many ways to help change this perception over winter.
1. Modify your home
To ensure you are getting the most out of your home in terms of ease of accessibility and confidence in moving around it is important to modify your home this winter. Through spending more time in the home it is likely that there is more chance of injury. If you are an elderly person with restricted movement (that can get worse during the winter) or you have a relative that this could apply to then the home may need to have some changes.
Eliminating the chance of falls is the most important and this can be done in many ways that are simple and cost effective. Putting up grab bars in the bathroom to prevent disruption in personal hygiene, removing any unwanted furniture or ornaments that could restrict movement and walking and positioning things in the kitchen to make it easier to reach, are all elements that could help.
Also, if the home is over two floors the effort to climb the stairs can be understated. Home stair lifts can eliminate this problem immediately and through providing the extra freedom of ease of movement it will ensure that the winter will be enjoyed much more in the home.
Find a new indoor hobby
Create a social group with friends that involve a hobby indoors. From chess club, book club to a knitting group; anything done on your own can be incorporated into a group activity. This ensures that social time is increased and more friends also have the opportunity to become involved in something over the winter.
Eat seasonal food
Embrace the winter and eat as much food as possible. One thing Britain is famous for is its stodgy winter food from cottage pie to a full roast dinner. Save money and increase the taste buds by stocking up on all the winter vegetables that are in season such as; butternut, leeks and turnips and create warming meals that are perfect for hibernation this winter.
Decorate
When spending more time in the home there is a strong chance that boredom and frustration could be felt when the days are shorter, nights longer and the wait for more time in the sun outside continues.
The look of the home could be a main encumbrance to this, the colours are dulling or the decorations out-dated. Through redecorating the home with light, bright colours and providing a whole new look it may provide a more enlightening experience at home this winter.
Check heating costs
A rising concern is the warmth of people during winter and this is especially true for the elderly. With the cost of utility bills at the forefront of political and public discussion check your provider to see if you have the best deals and are getting all the heating allowances you are entitled to. This could save a lot of money in the long run and diminish the worry of trying to stay warm in the home.
Though I don’t consider myself as an “old age” person yet, I do have Lupus with complications that have me basically home bound. So my life is led the same. These are all great tips to be sure! Thank you for posting.