As your elderly parent or relative grows older, it’s natural to see their living conditions change. You may notice changes to their physical and mental acuity - they may struggle to climb up and down staircases or they may struggle to remember important things.
If you’re the primary caregiver to your elderly loved one and you’re concerned about their in-home safety, it may be up to you to make some changes to their home to make it a more secure place to live. Here are three things to consider doing:
Improve Lighting
One of the first things you should do to improve safety in your elderly loved one’s home is to ensure that all of their lights are bright and functional. If the lights in their kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and hallways are flickering or burnt out, it could prevent them from seeing where they are walking which is a tripping hazard. Furthermore, ensure that their exterior lights are bright and functional if, for some reason, they need to leave their home in the middle of the night. Consider installing motion detecting lights on the outside of their home, not only will it improve their ability to navigate, but it will also dissuade any potential break-ins from occurring.
Install Handles In The Bathroom
Bathrooms are the single most dangerous place in an elderly person’s home, which isn’t very surprising. First of all, most bathrooms have a shower or a bathtub, which can create a significant slipping hazard. Even water spilt from the sink from hand-washing can increase the risk of slips and falls. Additionally, a number of injuries involving seniors have occurred while they were using the toilet. We recommend installing handlebars or assistance bars in the shower/bathtub and around the toilet to improve their balance and decrease their risk of falling.
Make Changes Based On Potential Risk
We recommend that you go through each room of your loved one’s home and make changes based on potential risk. Look for things on the ground that could pose a tripping risk and ensure they’re relocated. If there are items like dishware or picture albums that are located on high shelves, move them to a location where they are easily accessed. If any of their rooms have loose rugs on their floors, ensure they’re removed. Furthermore, try to reduce clutter in their house as much as possible as excessive clutter can pose health and safety concerns.
If you’re concerned about the health and safety risks in your elderly loved one’s home, be sure to address them as soon as possible. For more information on how to improve your loved one’s home, feel free to contact Assurance Home Care.
