Storage Ideas for Elderly to Stay Organized
Are you a family caregiver that needs storage ideas for elderly parents? Looking for ways to age in place without all the clutter? Take the time to evaluate your current belongings. What is most important to you and is it easily accessible and organized so you can find what you need when you need it? If not, let’s consider these storage suggestions for seniors.
Start with low-hanging fruit items first. Get the kitchen organized. Remove the clutter from the living room, dining room, bedroom, and bathroom. Design a system for all the important documents that you need. Consider additional storage that is easily accessible like a backyard storage shed or offsite storage units for seniors.
Provide Easy Access Storage for Seniors
It is important for the elderly to have easy access to what is important to them in the home. Storage for seniors should be focused on reducing fall risks, limiting clutter in the home, and streamlining the daily routine. How to organize a kitchen without a pantry or limited space overall? Start with keeping the space clean and create a plan to make it more efficient. Efficiency in a kitchen can come from a lazy Susan to installing pull down shelves or fully extending drawers.
Lazy Susan
A lazy susan for seniors is a great way to maximize the reachable space on a counter or table. Traditionally used in the dining or kitchen area it is possible to place one anywhere. Want to have easy access to the TV remote, favorite book, reading glasses, and a cup of tea? Consider, a lazy Susan in the living room next to a favorite chair.
Full Extension Slide Shelving
Full extension slide shelving brings everything on a shelf out to you. Gain access to all available space in your lower counter shelves and reachable closet shelves. Full extension sliding shelves are a wise investment for seniors aging in place.
Sliding Wire Organizers
Sliding wire organizers for seniors make kitchens more functional. Stop bending over and digging in the back of a cabinet for a pot, pan, or the missing lid. Sliding wire organizers bring everything that is stored out into the space so items can be easily seen.
Pull Down Shelves
Make wall cabinets above the counters accessible to the elderly with pull-down shelves to maximize storage space. It is recommended for elderly individuals to avoid using stools or step ladders to reach items stored above out of reach. Ultimately, the goal is to reduce the potential for falls in the home for elderly individuals as they are the leading cause of hospitalizations and injury for seniors aging at home. Installing pull-down shelves means these cabinets no longer need to remain empty to keep the home safe.
Decluttering to Prevents Falls
Finding a home for loose items is very important. Clutter is chaos. Chaos makes managing activities of daily living harder from finding clothes for the day, preparing meals, paying bills, and remembering to take medications. The more methodical your approach to decluttering the better. While many people tout the need to downsize for seniors and this is a good strategy. Consider it rightsizing. As a family caregiver, you are not getting throwing things away or storing them in boxes and bins to never be found again. You are preparing the home for what is essential.
Professional Organizer for Storage Ideas for Elderly
A professional organizer can spend a few hours to a few days in a home and make considerable progress. Knowing the right types of storage containers and solutions to find is greatly helpful. As a result, hiring a pro to help organize a kitchen saves countless hours of walking through IKEA and other stores for solutions. Get recommendations instead of relying on google searches. Seniors without active family caregivers can lean on the expertise and capabilities of a professional organizer. Get your house in order to prevent problems down the road.
Document Management and Storage for Seniors
Every senior needs to have at least a binder with important health information. Keep medicare information, insurance details, and healthcare provider contacts in one easy-to-grab binder. Rather than family members searching all over the house for important documents in a time of need. The binder can be located in an easy-find location. Using a Rubbermaid-type bin for all important documents is a good strategy. Keep a binder with house documents, vendor information, etc, all the way down to the preferred dog washing company. This allows family members to step in and assist without having to ask lots of questions during an already stressful time.
More Storage in Home Often Does Not Solve Problem
Many seniors downsize their living arrangements and there is not enough closet space. Consider a storage unit at an offsite facility. This gives the time necessary to move things into storage. Rather than being forced to decide what to keep and what to get rid of during a transition to senior living. Dealing with excessive amounts of belongings during a health crisis is no fun for all involved. Prepare ahead and age in peace.