Helping the Elderly Care for Their Yards During the Fall

For the elder care providers at Visiting Angels, fall is without a doubt our favorite season. With the leaves changing color, just-right temperatures, and farmers’ markets bursting with healthy harvest foods, it’s pretty much the perfect time of year.

But autumn also comes with its challenges. It should come as no surprise that for seniors in need of elder care, one of the biggest difficulties every fall is yard work. From raking leaves to clearing gutters, there are all sorts of seasonal tasks that seniors often struggle with — particularly older individuals and those with strength and mobility issues.

“Helping a senior with yard work can really make a difference — whether that’s by helping out yourself or hiring a yard work service,” says Visiting Angels CEO and President Larry Meigs. “As longtime elder care providers, Visiting Angels caregivers know as well as anyone just how valued a helping hand can be at this time of year.”

Fall Yard Work Checklist

Whether you’re doing yard work on your own or hiring professionals, it’s important that you know exactly what needs to be done. Our team of elder care experts checked with home improvement professionals to put together a fall yard work checklist.

• Check window and door seals
• Check roof
• Turn off outdoor water
• Store hoses
• Drain sprinkler system
• Drain outdoor spigots
• Rake leaves
• Clear out gutter
• Fertilize cool-season grasses
• Plant trees, shrubs, bulbs, roses, and cool-season annuals
• Prune plants
• Protect plants from freezing with layer of mulch

Helping an Elder Care for Their Yard

Helping a senior with yard work can take a weekend or just a phone call, depending on what choice you make. You might want to do it on your own, or you might want to make it a family event. You may even want to get your loved one involved — if they’re up to it.

Here are three ways our elder care experts recommend tackling yard work for seniors.

• With Your Loved One’s Help. Just because your parent or grandparent can’t clean out the gutter, doesn’t mean they can’t accomplish less strenuous tasks, like pruning plants. Yard work is good exercise for seniors, helping them maintain healthy bones and muscle strength.
  
  
• By Yourself or with Family. If your loved one doesn’t have the strength or mobility to help out with yard work, you or your family can tackle yard work on your own. Put aside a weekend or two where you can tackle major projects, or chip away at the job week by week if you live close by.
  
  
• Hiring a Yard Service. If you live far away or find yourself pressed for time, you can always turn to a professional yard service. Your local area should have a number of professional options for quick and easy yard work. Shop around and check reviews for an affordable, quality service.