It becomes a difficult and challenging task sometimes to ask our senior parents to use mobility aids. There are various kinds of mobility aids available but most of the elderly don’t want to use them out of a feeling of shame or humiliation. They feel less capable than other people when using a walker, cane or wheelchairs and don’t seem to have the right confidence and spirit for it. At this moment the carer has to think of a way to convince their senior parents about the importance of a mobility aid which will motivate and empower and not demean them and their capabilities in any way. Some of the best mobility aids to offer in the market are the Bio-Lec Mobility canes, walkers, rollators and wheelchairs which offer assured safety and comfort.
Some tips to help the elderly know the value of mobility aids are:-
- Stress on the fact that mobility aids provide independence : We have to convince our parents or grandparents that the use of a mobility aid helps retain independence in every way. Mobility aids don’t need a carer to be available every time the patient needs assistance. Because it may be that sometimes the carer may have some personal engagements to finish and may find himself unavailable 24×7 for the patient. So a mobility aid is a great support to assist the parent with their needs being safe, easy to handle and is one which promotes independence too. For example if a parent needs to go upstairs and there is no one to help them around they can use a Bio-Lec stairlift or if a parent needs help getting up from the couch and walk to the washroom they can use a Bio-Lec cane or walker.
- Compare the available options : We need to emphasize on independent living and compare the options which are available to the elderly. They can either take help from a care provider or think of mobility aids providing a better transition to assisted living. We need to show them the pros and cons of both choices and then persuade them to choose the better option out of the two. In the first one at times the carer may be busy with some engagement of their own and it is a comparatively costly service too. The mobility aids are safer, cheaper and sturdy enough to manage, use and remove the dependency of the disabled person on any outside assistance.
- Give the parent the option to consider and choose : After sharing our thoughts about the utility and importance of mobility aids, we should give the senior parent more details about the particular products, their make and models. We can provide them with some resources like web-based information, catalogues and printed materials to research a bit and then arrive at the final selection. It will help them have a sense of choice and ownership so that they don’t get to say later that the purchase was thrusted on them and they had no say in it.
- Get professional opinions before any purchase : We should take the help of an occupational therapist if we need to buy mobility aids of any kind. They can help give valuable feedback and opinion about aging, Alzheimer’s, how to avoid falls, stroke, low visions and which mobility aids to use by patients having these issues.
- Do a trial test run : For more complicated products we should get to a trial test the mobility aids we buy so that the person using them feels comfortable and familiar with its operation.
At a certain age or because of some underlying health condition a person may not find it simple to complete activities like bathing, cooking or using the toilet. And at this point they may require assistance which can be provided by Bio-Lec Mobility’s range of mobility aids suitable for various activities. The senior parents need to be convinced about the advantages of using mobility aids in an influential way to help them think positively about it. The mobility aids are life-supporting devices which aim to assist the elderly and people with limited mobility live a confident, happy and independent life free from complexes and humiliation. Bio-Lec Mobility has just the right range of products like bathroom aids, living aids, aids for comfort and well-being, walkers, rollators and wheelchairs to assist the elderly feel independent and make the needed positive difference in their lives.
