Annotated Summary

NurseNextDoor. (2019). Help! My Aging Loved One Can’t Keep Up on Laundry. Retrieved March 10, 2020 from https://www.nursenextdoor.com/blog/seniors-and-laundry/

This article raises concerns on the welfare of elderly people when doing basic tasks like laundry due to their underlying health issues, the significance of maintaining hygienic laundry practices, and how hiring a home caregiver can resolve these issues.

Elderly people are prone to injuries due to their existing health issues and may be susceptible to severe accidents such as falling when doing laundry. As a result, they are unable to do laundry regularly and have to re-wear dirty clothes. When clothes get filthier with increased use, it traps dirt and oil, creating an ideal breeding ground for bacteria. This can lead to illnesses and infections if left unwashed for a long period. Hence, it is important for the elderly to have clean laundry to prevent the growth of germs on clothes and bedding.

The article features the benefits of having a home caregiver as they are competent in performing all the chores. These home caregivers can help to regularly wash the laundry for the elderly and also able to provide the elderly with companionship to help them cope with loneliness and depression. The article also highlights that clean laundry will have a considerable positive effect to mitigate stress. Thus, will keep the elderly healthier and happier in the long run.

This article provides a good analysis of the pressing issues concerning the elderly, which is crucial for our project on the development of laundry baskets catering to the elderly. Although the article recommends hiring a home caregiver to do chores for the elderly, most of them cannot afford to hire a home caregiver, also it is strongly advised that the elderly should perform certain simple chores to stay healthy and avoid age-related muscle degradation. Our product provides a targeted solution that will help the elderly to do laundry with minimal effort.