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Why Living Alone is Dangerous For Elders

Why Seniors Want To Stay In Their Own Home

Living in your own home is an incomparable feeling. This becomes even more pronounced as for seniors who have lived in the same home for many years. The home is filled with memories of children through their growing years. It feels great to call neighbors friends. The thought of moving out doesn’t arise. Where would they go to? What would they do with all the things in the house that remind them of loved ones and happy events?

Unfortunately, age brings a few challenges that make it dangerous for seniors to continue living at home, especially when there are no family members close by. It’s not something you want to think about but it’s important to realize the risks so that you can take the steps to create a safer environment for an aging loved one.

The Dangers of Seniors Living Alone

Isolation

Isolation is inevitable as younger family members leave home. Empty nest syndrome is real. This gets compounded as parents get older, or when a spouse dies or when mobility limitations make it increasingly more difficult to attend even neighborhood events.

Research has shown that persistent isolation increases the risk of physical and mental health.

Depression

Depression is one of the most common consequences of isolation and mobility restrictions. With no one around to notice the symptoms of depression, it is more likely to get worse with time.

Anxiety

Just being alone with no one to talk to can increase anxiety levels in anyone. This can get worse with age because of the realization that there is no one to help if they fall down, or are ill or have any other problems.

Malnutrition

After years of cooking for the whole family, it’s difficult to enjoy cooking for just one person. Seniors may swing between cooking basic meals and reaching out for easy premade meals or canned food. This can result in malnutrition over time, causing other health problems.

Forgetfulness

The onset of memory loss is a scary thought especially for anyone living alone. Forgetting to turn off the stove or a tap, skipping regular medication doses or neglecting to take out the garbage regularly – all of these create hazardous situations for a senior living alone.

Poor Vision

Failing vision makes it almost impossible to perform certain tasks, which could increase the risks considerably in an emergency.

Poor Mobility

Increasing mobility restrictions can make it challenging to perform even everyday activities. This leads to neglect in personal hygiene and grooming as well as basic housekeeping chores, which is detrimental to health and dangerous in emergency situations.

Risk of Falling

Age increases not just the risk of falling but also the risk of experiencing a serious injury. For a senior living alone, this can create a life-threatening situation as there is nobody around to help or even call an ambulance.

Risk of Accidental Overdoses

Declining memory combined with living alone can create a dangerous situation for elders on medication. On the one hand they may forget to take their medication regularly. On the other hand, they may forget that they took their medication and may repeat the dosage multiple times within a short period. This can be fatal.

These are just some of the reasons that make living alone dangerous for elders. When age-related limitations set in, it is safer to move into some type of senior living facility to prevent any life-threatening situation.

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