When we talk about health and well being for seniors, we think about the things that a physician assesses when an older adult goes to the doctor. We think about things like vital signs, prescriptions medications, chronic conditions and lab work. We ask how an aging loved one is doing by asking about how a visit to the doctor went, and how they seemed to be doing or feeling, and if they are eating or sleeping. One area that is rarely discussed is the home environment of the senior – how clean, organized, and in what condition it is kept in. Yet the home environment is connected to senior health outcomes in a way that is measurable and impactful. This area of health is one that no one talks about but everyone sees. The answer to the question “How does this connect to senior health?” should be clear by the time you are finished reading this!
Physical Health
The physical health outcomes related to living in a dirty home are probably obvious to anyone who has ever lived in a dirty home. Dust can trigger allergies and asthma attacks. Mold can grow and make people in the home sick. Bacteria on kitchen surfaces can cause food poisoning, and germs in the bathroom can cause infections. All of these factors are even more detrimental to older adults who have a variety of conditions already
Adults in their golden years typically have compromised immune systems. If a toilet (or other bathroom fixture) hasn’t been cleaned for a long time, the germs that build up may cause infections that are relatively harmless to fight off for most, but can be deadly for an older adult. The same goes for dirty pots and pans; older adults may develop infections on their skin from dirty but unwashed rags or towels. Bacteria and germs build up in kitchens and bathrooms over time and become harmful to anyone using those spaces.
Then there are pests. Dirty homes attract pests (mice, ants, roaches) and while mice and roaches are certainly unsanitary, their droppings can also trigger asthma attacks. Then there are the allergy issues dirtiness creates, too.
Mental Health
There’s also a mental health component to living in a dirty home; studies are starting to show that living in disarray can trigger depression and cause anxiety. The mental toll of living in an unclean space slowly wears people down over time.
They get stressed because they cannot find anything that they need to use within a space they live in. They cannot find their keys – they cannot find their wallet – they cannot find anything they need to complete a task or errand. They also begin to feel overwhelmed because in their environment, they feel like there is something else to accomplish, clean or organize everywhere they look.
There’s also the shame factor that comes along with this situation as well. Older adults who take pride in their homes (thanks to themselves or an older spouse) begin feeling ashamed of themselves once they can no longer keep up with the demands of cleanliness once it becomes overwhelming. Instead of asking for help they isolate themselves from their families; they stop inviting family into their home – they stop allowing caregivers to come to their homes because they don’t want anyone judging them on how they live. Isolation causes more depression and also tends to create a path for cognitive decline.
Another aspect of mental health are cognition levels relating to clutter and disorganization. Older adults who live in disorganization have trouble completing tasks and finding things. An orderly, clean environment helps them focus on completing normal (or abnormal) everyday tasks instead of being overwhelmed.
Safety
Many people might relate safety in a home to fall risk and mobility assistance; falls are common in older adults and often attribute their falls to clutter in their homes. However, not many people realize that dirtiness can also be correlated with falls.
Floors that are not swept or vacuumed can become tripping hazards; things can be left on the floor accumulating over time – which can become obstacles for seniors to trip over (especially if they also suffer from poor vision). Bathrooms can also become unclean and unsafe. Slippery soap can build up in bathtubs and older towels lose their grip.
Bathtubs also rely on cleanliness to be safe. Clean bathroom are definitely safer than dirty bathrooms.
Clean kitchens are safe; dirty kitchens can cause fires (think grease build up) and pest infestations which cause food poisoning. The list is endless.
Help With Housekeeping
Help with simple housekeeping tasks can also help seniors living at home, with or without family.
Sometimes families can keep up with the cleaning demands of an active cleaning older adult; but when that active older adult begins declining as they age, they require assistance with cleaning on a semi-regular basis rather than whenever they get a moment to themselves.
Just keeping up with cleaning becomes impossible when you have lived in an environment for so long; when that builds up it can get overwhelming.
Services like Light Housekeeping for Seniors in Philadelphia can help those who struggle to keep their environment clean and tidy, as well as give these older adults a little sense of pride back in their everyday life.
A housekeeper does not only clean senior environments; they get organized and create systems to keep up with the maintenance of those living alone once their families are unable to keep up with them.
A housekeeper also tends to become a connection for the older adult – someone similar to a friend/companion; someone to talk to while they clean; someone who remembers where everything belongs; someone who recognizes changes occurring within the home (as little or as big as those changes may be).
Nutrition
Kitchen clean also impacts nutrition levels as well; if a kitchen is messy it lessens the amount of times someone sits down to eat and instead leads to people snacking instead if everything is within reach.
The more areas you have in your house to “eat” the less likely people are to sit down and eat. The more cluttered a kitchen gets, the less likely people are to actually make themselves meals.
Kitchen cleanliness can also impact food safety too; food has to be thrown away periodically so it doesn’t go bad – pots and pans can pile up preventing seniors from preparing themselves meals which contributes to less nutrients consumed as food is prepared.
Sleep Quality
Sleep quality can also be impacted by the conditions of senior bedrooms; poor sleep quality can be directly related to where you are sleeping at night. Good sleep is necessary for mood – if sleep conditions aren’t positive it impacts how long someone sleeps during the night.
Dust can trigger coughing which leads to poor sleep quality and overall, basic conditions need to be met for individuals to sleep well. The connection between sleep and something physical outside your body is not obvious at first; however, this can relate to anything from allergies to asthma attacks due to dust.
Dignity / Pride
Maintaining a clean space keeps someone feeling good about where they live (and even their accomplishments); once people fail to keep their spaces clean they feel less engaged in their everyday lives.
People tend to feel good inviting their friends and families into their spaces; if they cannot keep those spaces clean (or feel they should be clean) they isolate themselves. Older adults appear embarrassed which leads them declining visits from friends and families, in turn isolation has been shown to increase cognitive decline within older adults over time.
Prevention vs Crisis
Taking care of things before they happen seems easy for older adults; cleaning up after something occurs tends to lead toward everyone suggesting alternative living arrangements for older adults versus keeping up with their own homes within their community.
Cleanliness is one indicator of what someone is going through mentally and can lead others to question their living arrangements;
Cleaning an environment that has become messy can become a monumental task for someone struggling mentally or cognitively; without regular cleanings in a home, it leads people to question where someone should live.
Regular cleanings prevent people from becoming potentially cognitively challenged in an impossible messy environment where they potentially can’t live alone anymore.
Keeping your environment clean is a preventive healthcare plan that doesn’t seem like a healthcare plan but nonetheless keeps someone able to live at home independently with assistance for longer period of times versus battling with cognitive issues causing accidents in the environment they are used to living within.
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