Our Gran doesn’t complain about much but she probably has every right to do so. For a start, we don’t visit her as much as we should.
I imagine that this is a pretty common issue. Life can get so hectic at times that we forgot that Gran is sitting in on her own all day just about every day. If we don’t go and see her then we know that she probably won’t speak to a single soul that day. This is a sad state of affairs for anyone to be in, isn’t it?
She goes out sometimes during the summer. She collects her pension, buys some shopping and even occasionally pops in to a local club to catch up on some gossip. When the weather is good I have even seen her outside sitting on a deckchair in her garden, although she claimed that she was just having a quick sit down after weeding the borders.
However, winter time must be the worst for her, so we came up with a quick checklist to help her get through it this year. It might seem as though it is quite early to start planning for winter but it makes sense to start as soon as possible.
Heat the House
If you have ever lived in a property on your own then you will know how difficult it can be to heat it up. As my Gran sits in her chair a lot of the day she must really feel the cold more than most of us. Her house hasn’t had any work done on it in years but I reckon that we could make it warmer and more comfortable with a few simple changes. For a start, some cheap draught excluding would stop the cold air getting in so easily. A quick look online also told us that she could get her home insulated for free at the moment. As well as keeping her warmer these changes will also keep her electricity bills down over winter.
Get Some Entertainment Options
Most of us stay in more often during the colder months no matter what age we are. The difference is that in my house we have 4 televisions with cable channels and DVD players, 3 computers and a whole lot of other entertainment options. My Gran, on the other hand, seems to make do with the basic TV channels and a few old issues of Reader’s Digest which she must have read a thousand times. This year we are going to set her up with the free to view satellite channels and a selection of books and magazines. My Mum says that she used to love reading so hopefully she enjoys her new library when it is too cold to even consider going out.
Visit More Often
My whole family stays at home a lot more over the winter months, so we might as well spend some of that time in Gran’s house rather than in our own. I am sure that she would enjoy visitors. It’s not that we never think about visiting but it sometimes seems just too much hassle to troop across town to visit here when it is freezing outside. We need to start making an effort and to start off maybe we could make Sunday lunch over there on a regular basis. By crowding out her house and getting the oven turned on we can heat it up in no time I am sure. Even if we end up just sitting around watching her new telly channels and reading her books I am sure that she will still be glad of the company.
Winter is usually a difficult time for older folk and the site at www.BuyaBility.co.uk has some great pieces of advice on making it easier.
Guaranteeing A Warmer Winter For Your Loved Ones
