8 Tips to Help Seniors Stay at Home and Join the Burnaby Community

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The Burnaby community is an excellent place for seniors to live, especially if they choose to age in place in their homes. This welcoming neighbourhood has resources and support to help them live safely and healthily while maintaining their independence. 

Keep reading to get our top eight tips for helping your loved one safely and happily age in larger communities like Burnaby, BC.

But first, should your loved one age in place?

As your loved one ages, you need to make an important decision: do you support them to age in place (in their home) or help them move into a retirement or care home?

When making this very personal decision, you should consider the senior’s physical, emotional, and social needs. Discuss options with your loved one if their mental and cognitive health allows.  

To help you decide, here are the pros of aging in place:

Benefits of aging in place

  • Familiarity — Change is often difficult for elderly. Staying in their homes helps surround them with familiarity and comfort. 
  • No moving or downsizing hassle — Moving is time-consuming and stressful. Aging in place means no stressful decisions need to be made right now. 
  • Keep your belongings — Sorting through your belongings to decide what to keep and toss can be emotionally draining and upsetting for seniors. Remaining in their home means no need to sort through their belongings until it’s absolutely necessary. 
  • Access to home care and community services —  If your loved one needs additional support, they can access it through in-home care and nursing support. They can also access additional resources and services for social and domestic support. 

Moving and Settling-in Tips for Burnaby Seniors

If your loved one will be moving to a safer aging-in-place home within the Burnaby neighbourhood or a retirement or care facility, here are our top tips to help make the transition easier for everyone. Burnaby has grown to be a large, sprawling community, but with that comes fantastic resources and organizations that help support seniors and their health and well-being.

Check out a local Burnaby senior centre 

Burnaby has many centres your loved one can visit for socialization and support. For example, you can find a full calendar of programs and activities for seniors. Join fitness classes, educational workshops, and social events to gather and feel part of the neighbourhood. 

Other Burnaby centres for seniors include: 

Explore Burnaby health options and facilities

For seniors moving to a new community, it’s essential to understand what healthcare support exists there. This includes knowing where the hospitals, emergency care, doctors, and specialist offices are. 

Your closest hospital in Burnaby is likely Burnaby General Hospital, but for other critical but less urgent health issues, be aware of their closest urgent care clinic.  If you are unsure or have serious health issues, call 911 or your family doctor.

Connect the elderly  with Burnaby home care services

Did you know you can find in-home care services for personalized services and support? Many organizations and companies (like Hero Home Care) offer nursing and companion support for seniors who have chosen to age in place. These services may include:

  • Social visits
  • Personal care
  • Homemaking
  • Cooking and meal support
  • Medication or nursing care
  • Dementia Support & Alzheimer’s Care
  • Transportation 
  • End-of-life-care

These services support seniors unsure about moving into a retirement community or care home. They help them enjoy the benefits of staying at home with lowered risks.

Seek out local parks and outdoor spaces 

Being outdoors can provide a soothing, healthy environment for the elderly living in Burnaby who want to be active and get out of the house. There are many great parks and outdoor spaces, many of which may be close to your loved one’s home. 

Here are some parks we enjoy in Burnaby:

Understand local transportation options

If your senior is independent, help them familiarize themselves with local transportation options and walking routes to their favourite shops and services. Look up bus routes and see how they can use Skytrain to explore the neighbouring communities beyond the city. 

For your loved ones who need more support, a Burnaby home health care service like Hero Home Care can provide transportation services for appointments, shopping, and recreational activities. 

Seek volunteer opportunities

Help your independent loved one feel part of the neighbourhood by helping them look for volunteering in Burnaby. Volunteering helps them feel connected and valued, giving them a sense of purpose. It can also be a great way to meet new service-minded neighbours and familiarize them with the services and people in their community.  

Meet their neighbours 

Introduce yourself and your loved one to their new neighbours. Get to know them and exchange contact information so they can let you know if they notice any concerning or dangerous behaviour in your loved one when you’re not there.  

Make sure your loved one knows their neighbours. This provides them with a close-to-home opportunity to socialize with others and allows them to act as an emergency contact if they need immediate help and their family (you) cannot make it right away. 

How to best support your aging loved ones

If your loved one chooses to stay independent in their Burnaby home but needs additional support for healthcare, personal care, companionship and socialization, or other help, Hero Home Care has in-home aides to help. 

Our experienced Nurse Care Managers will develop a personalized home care solution for you, for as much or as little as you need (even if it’s a weekly visit or phone call to check in). 

Browse from our suite of seniors in-home care services and give us a call if you have any questions or would like to get started with a free in-home Care Consult.