Self-help Tips for the Elderly

Safe and Easy Ways to do Housework

While managing huge amount of household tasks, elders may sometimes feel difficult to cope and may injure themselves when performing housework. If elders know the energy conservation and joint protection techniques, they may enjoy the pleasure of doing housework as well as minimize the chance of getting injured at work. Below are some tips to safer and more efficient ways to manage household tasks.

Proper positioning

When performing household tasks in the standing position, place one foot in front of the other to keep your balance. Avoid squatting and kneeling during work.
Use long-handle mops or brooms to clean the floor so as to avoid having to bend the trunk and strain the spine.
Slightly bend the knees and tuck in your tummy before picking up heavy loads. Hold the load close to your body. Keep your back straight and tighten your abdominal muscle to support the spine. Stand with feet apart at shoulders' width and avoid excessive knee bending so as to keep your balance.

Joint protection

• Avoid over-loading the joints during housework. For example, avoid using the same joint repetitively or carrying heavy loads. Otherwise the soft tissues of the joints could be damaged easily.
• Remember to do stretching exercises daily to keep the joints flexible and strengthen the muscles. It will also help to protect against injury.
  

Energy Conservation

• Simplify work procedures and use different ways to save energy while doing daily housework. For example, you can sit down to do work like ironing, folding clothes and meal preparation etc.
• Use suitable assistive devices to simplify the work procedures. For example, use non-stick cooking utensils to minimize the effort needed to clean them. Use electrical blender and micro-wave oven to shorten the time of food preparation. Use vacuum cleaner or magician wiper with long-handled design to clean the floor to avoid the need to bend down.
• Avoid prolonged working and take a break between work procedures. After prolonged standing, sit down to do some light work. This can let you take a rest and relax.

Understand your own limits

• Know your limitations. Do not commit beyond your capability. For example, in helping to take care of young children.
• If needed, ask family members for help or seek help from community resources nearby. For example, home helper service, voluntary services.

Good Planning

• Repare a shopping list in advance to avoid extra trips. Plan ahead before you do the housework in order to do it efficiently.
• Put frequently used items in places where they can be reached conveniently. This can save energy and improve efficiency.
• Check the home environment and clear up clutter regularly to avoid the heavy workload during the annual cleansing before the Lunar New Year.

Stress Management

• If you feel stressful in managing household tasks, reconsider the standard set: is it too high? Set a more realistic time schedule to finish the housework.
• Share with your friends and learn some relaxation methods.

In summary, you can plan ahead, set priorities, and perform light and heavy tasks alternately. Know your limits, manage housework flexibly, and make better use of the community resources to help in finishing housework more efficiently and safely.

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