June is National Oceans Month. This is the ideal opportunity for you to spend time with your senior and the rest of your family at the beach. Not only can this boost your parent’s mental and emotional health and give you the chance to make memories that you can treasure well into the future, but it can also provide unique opportunity to change up your parent’s physical activity.
As with anything else in your caregiver journey, it is extremely important that while you are planning your day at the beach with your family that you keep your senior’s safety in mind. There are many potential dangers at the beach, but simply preparing for them can help you to reduce these risks and ensure that your entire family can have fun together.
Use these tips to keep your senior safe during a visit to the beach:
• Protect from the sun in advance. Do not wait until you have arrived at the beach to apply sun protection. Remember that the product needs at least half an hour to fully absorb into the skin and become effective. Do not forgo sunscreen just because it is cloudy out. The UV rays can pass through clouds and haze and lead to skin damage.
• Wear water shoes. Digging your toes into the warm sand might feel wonderful, but walking across the beach barefoot can put your parent’s safety at risk. Hot sand can cause burns, while items in the sand, such as rocks, shells, driftwood, and even trash or other debris can lead to cuts that can become infected. This is especially true if they are suffering from a condition that prevents them from being able to detect injuries as they happen, such as diabetes. Protect them by encouraging them to wear water shoes throughout the visit.
• Choose bright, distinct colors. When selecting your parent’s bathing suit, look for a suit that is bright and distinctive. This way if they do venture into the water, you can easily keep your eye on them in case they become overwhelmed by the tide. Even if your parent is not going to go into the water, use the same philosophy to choose the colors for your umbrella and beach blanket. This enables your entire family to more easily find each other throughout the day.
• Review water safety. The ocean can be beautiful and fun, but it can also become dangerous quickly. Review water safety with your entire family to make sure that they know how to enjoy the cooling activities safely. This includes not going out into the water alone, only going up to calf-depth if they are not strong swimmers, and swimming parallel to the shore if they feel tired or overwhelmed.
If you have been looking for ways to enhance your senior loved one’s quality of life, improve the care that they receive on a regular basis, and help to manage your stress and schedule, now may be the ideal time for you to consider starting senior care for them.
A senior home care services provider can be with your senior parent on a schedule that is right both for their needs and for the care that you already give them. This enables them to provide your parent with a highly personalized set of services tailored not just to their needs, challenges, and limitations, but also to their personality, preferences, and goals. This helps them to stay safe, healthy, comfortable, and happy, while also pursuing a lifestyle that is as engaged, active, and independent as possible throughout their later years.
This can even include accompanying your family on vacations and getaways to ensure that your senior gets the consistent care that they need and that every member of your family can enjoy the experience while staying safe and healthy.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Senior Care Services in South Miami FL, contact the caring staff at Providence Healthcare Services. We provide services in all of Miami Dade county and the Upper Keys. Call today (305) 680-5349.
