What does living independently mean
Can a person with autism live an independent adult life?
As an adult, a person with an autism spectrum condition can live independently. However, not everyone achieves the same level of self-sufficiency. Intervention services are designed to assist individuals in achieving their optimum degree of independence, which will appear different for each person.
There are several levels and degrees of independence. You should approach your family member’s journey to independence as just that—a journey, depending on how early they were diagnosed and started treatment.
What Skills Do You Need to living independently ?
1) Personal Hygiene
2) Dressing and clothing care
3) Health Care
4) Cooking, Eating, Nutrition
5) Home Management and Home Safety
6) Financial Management
7) Personal Growth, Awareness, and Problem Solving
8) Community Access
9) Yard care
Physical strength to prevent falls and handle self-care.
Falls are quite deadly. They result in life-threatening injuries, hospitalisation, and, in the worst-case scenario, death. They’re also a common cause of deteriorating health, which makes it difficult for us to take care of ourselves.
Poor muscular strength in our lower body causes balance difficulties that contribute to falls, so it’s critical to prevent allowing them to become weak. A sedentary lifestyle can easily cause this.
Fall prevention necessitates taking fitness and activities seriously enough to maintain a baseline level of bodily strength. In addition to physical strength, it is critical to make efforts to make our homes a safe place as our requirements change. It may not be a personal trait, but it is necessary for a better result.
As our physical requirements evolve, we must modify our surroundings to meet those demands. Even someone who walks every day to keep their body in shape might benefit from grab bars in the bathroom, reachable goods in the kitchen cabinets, or an easier method to navigate the stairs at some point.
The ability to obtain food and prepare meals.
We all require a certain quantity of food to live, and a well-balanced diet is significantly healthier than a steady diet of processed foods. Without the correct fuel, staying independent is impossible. It is critical that we are able to give ourselves a nutritious supper.
However, remaining self-sufficient does not necessitate becoming a gourmet chef. If grocery shopping or meal preparation is a challenge, having tools in place to supply supplies or ready-to-eat nutritious meals can help bridge the gap. To be self-sufficient, we must be able to undertake fundamental tasks such as warming food and feeding ourselves.
Available transportation for activities outside of the home.
Everyone needs to get out of the house now and then. Visits to the doctor, physical therapy, socialising with family and friends, and other activities are all crucial aspects of our overall well-being and health.
Even those who want to be more introverted must be able to undertake critical tasks outside of their home. It’s also important for providing companionship and alleviating loneliness, both of which have negative effects on mental and physical health. Someone who is unable to supply or arrange for their own transportation, or who lacks the energy to leave the house, is unable to live independently.
Age-appropriate cognitive abilities.
Once we reach a certain age, a small bit of dementia or memory problems is natural, but going over these limits might result in the loss of independence. Confusion has an influence on self-care, mobility, and our capacity to plan it, as well as every other element of our lives, from day-to-day logistics to physical and mental health.
If we are impacted by a significant change in cognitive abilities, our ability to remain at home may be unwillingly lost… and we may be forced to go into a memory care facility. Pursuing brain fitness activities and leading a healthy lifestyle can help us keep cognitive abilities that are typical for our age and even prevent or postpone dementia in people who are proactively focused on staying at home.
How Seniors Can Live Independently for a Longer Period of Time
Many individuals are relying on medical equipment and caregiver support to help them live independently, a pattern known as “aging in place.”
According to the United States Census Bureau, the number of senior citizens in the United States will reach 70 million by 2030. This expanding segment of the American population is already demonstrating that individuals can maintain some degree of independence with the support of medical gadgets, technology, and other people.
While canes and scooters are routinely used by seniors, new technologies are being developed to ensure their safety as they continue to live independently. Personal medical alert systems, for example, allow the elderly to seek aid immediately if they fall or require medical treatment. Even cell phones are being modified to help seniors with daily duties like reminding them to take their meds or show up for appointments.