Grocery shopping is a chore that is tough for a lot of people. But for seniors, it can be physically and mentally demanding to shop for groceries. Some seniors may even subsist on struggle meals rather than face going shopping.
There are a lot of seniors who may not want to ask for help and find that lifting items off shelves, putting them into a cart, unloading them onto the checkout belt, and then loading bags into the car is just too difficult for them physically. Pushing a heavy shopping car around a large store and walking the entire length of the store can also be exhausting for seniors.
Seniors can also have trouble managing their money, staying on a budget, or paying for their purchases if they have cognitive decline or other impairments. That makes grocery shopping a challenge and sometimes even a little scary for seniors. But grocery shopping doesn’t have to be anxiety inducing for seniors. It’s even possible for it to be fun. Seniors can use these tips to make grocery shopping easier:
Rely on Home Care Assistance
Home care assistance is something that can make shopping a lot easier for seniors of all abilities. Home care assistance means that someone your senior loved one trusts can go with them to the store to make shopping less physically and mentally demanding. Your senior loved one will have someone they trust with them to help them get transportation to the store, pick up the items and push the cart, and carry the bag after they make sure that your senior loved one isn’t take advantage of in the checkout process. Seniors are often more confident when they are shopping with the assistance of a caregiver.
Choose Stores Carefully
Seniors who have mobility issues or become overwhelmed by giant box stores can look for smaller local stores that will be less intimidating or exhausting for them. You can help them find a neighborhood market or a smaller chain store that will have the necessities they need so that your senior loved one doesn’t have to shop at the big box stores as often. Smaller stores often have better customer service and offer a wider range of services that are tailored to the people in the neighborhood. Your senior loved one will be able to do more at a smaller local store.
Break Up The Shopping
Because shopping can be difficult for seniors it’s a smart idea to break up the shopping and shop for different things on different days. For example, if your senior loved one is usually feeling stronger in the morning then they may want to shop for bigger or heavier items like meat and canned goods in the morning. Then shop for things like fruits and vegetables on another day in the afternoon because that shopping is easier. Also they may want to do their shopping at a big box store on one day and shopping at a smaller local store for other items on another day. Breaking up the shopping will make it less tiring.
If you are considering home care assistance in Portage, MI for an aging loved one, please call the caring staff at Fresh Perspective Home Care at (269) 329-4717. We are here to help!
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