3 Ways To Make Shopping Trips Easier For Your Elderly Loved One

If you have an elderly loved one that still goes shopping for themselves rather than having another service or assisted living facility take care of these things for them, you might be worried about how safe and secure they are when out and about. Luckily, there are some things you can do to help them get what they need effectively and safely.

To help you see how this can be done, here are three ways to make shopping trips easier for your elderly loved one. 

Do Your Shopping Together

One simple option for ensuring that your loved one is safe when out doing their shopping is to do your shopping together. Since you’ll both need to do shopping on a regular basis, scheduling your shopping trips to be at the same time can be incredibly convenient for both of you. 

If you do choose to go shopping together, especially if it’s grocery shopping, make sure you bring a cooler bag with you so that you can keep your grocery cold when you’re dropping off your elderly loved one and helping them get their groceries inside and put away. By having your cold items safe in a cooler, you don’t feel like you have to rush back home to get your groceries put away, which can make the whole experience more enjoyable for both of you. 

Teach Them How To Organize Their Shopping List

To help your eldelry loved one ensure that they get everything they need when they venture out for a shopping trip, you might want to help them get in the habit of making a list of the things they need. Then, they can bring that list with them to the store and ensure they purchase everything from the list.

To make this even more effective, you might want to help your loved one organize their shopping list based on how their grocery store is laid out. By doing this, you’ll help them get in and out of the store quickly since they won’t have to be going back and forth between aisles that they’ve already been down. 

Go At The Right Time

The time that your eldelry loved one goes shopping can also have an impact on how safe they are when they’re out. 

At many stores, the first few hours of the day are advisable for seniors to do their shopping, as there tends to be fewer other shoppers to stress them out. Keep in mind, however, that you should encourage your loved one to go shopping at a time when they feel the strongest, as walking around a store can get exhausting for more seniors. And if they need to, encourage them to take breaks to keep their energy up and stay safe. 

If you get worried about your eldelry loved one when they go out shopping, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you assist them in staying safe.