Many seniors have a strong, and understandable, desire to remain in their homes as they age. But often, the opportunity to “age in place” presents safety risks that may not be immediately obvious to the senior, their families, or their caregivers.
To help seniors and their caregivers create a safer home environment, we’ve put together this handy guide complete with home safety tips.
Understanding the Needs of Seniors
It makes perfect sense that a senior would want to remain in their home forever. They’ve often built their life in that space, creating memories and collecting milestones. It may be a family home that has seen children and grandchildren grow. The home has been their comfort and their refuge.
Unfortunately, the same home that provided safety and shelter, may now present trouble as mobility, balance, vision, and memory changes come into play. Falls and fires are safety concerns for seniors and their caregivers.
When it comes to staying in the home, you must evaluate on a case by case basis. Not every senior will need the same home safety accommodations, and these needs may change over time. Similarly, not all seniors should remain in the home.
Before enacting the following tips and strategies, honestly evaluate the situation to ensure a personalized safety plan.
Fall Prevention Strategies
Falls prevent a significant risk to older adults.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that each year, among older adults, there are around 1 million fall-related hospitalizations and 3 million emergency department visits due to falls.
Here are some strategies and modifications that can potentially reduce falls and help seniors remain at home:
Ensure Clear Walkways
Clear all clutter and obstacles from walkways. This includes securing rugs with non-slip pads and moving electrical cords out of the way.
This is especially important if the senior uses a mobility aid like a walker or cane that can become ensnared in the clutter.
Create a clear path that allows the senior to move safely through each room of the house.
Install Handrails and Grab Bars
Handrails and grab bars can significantly reduce fall risks by providing stability. Install these items in bathrooms and along staircases.
Ensure these items are securely fastened and can support the weight of the senior.
Improve Lighting
Make sure that all parts of the home are well lit so the senior can see where they are going. This includes hallways, bathrooms, and stairways. Add nightlights to improve safety during the night.
Motion-activated lighting can also improve safety without increasing energy costs or consumption.
Bathroom Safety Measures
Bathrooms can pose significant challenges for older adults. From wet and slippery surfaces, to mobility challenges, the potential for injury is high.
Use Non-Slip Mats, Rugs, and Adhesive Strips
Increase the safety of showers, bathtubs, and bathroom floors with the use of non-slip mats or strips. Coupled with the grab bars mentioned above, these alterations to ordinarily slippery surfaces can make a real difference, especially when climbing in and out of a bathtub.
Use Shower Chairs and Handheld Showerheads
Shower chairs provide increased stability in the shower or tub. It allows a senior to sit when bathing offering a much more secure position.
Handheld showerheads are an easy way to support stability, preventing someone having to manoeuvre and strain to get clean. It also supports the use of a shower chair by allowing the senior greater convenience and control.
Regulate Temperature
Ensure the water heater is set to a reasonable temperature to reduce the potential for scalding and burns.
Kitchen Safety Tips
The kitchen can prevent a safety challenge for anyone at any age but it can be particularly challenging for seniors. From balance concerns created from reaching into cupboards to fire hazards, there are a few changes that can make the space safer.
Organize and Simplify
Organize cupboards and storage so that all frequently used items are within easy reach. Try to eliminate the need for reaching, bending over, or the use of step ladders.
Improve Fire Safety
Install smoke alarms and check them regularly to ensure they are in working order.
Use timers as a memory aid so the senior remembers they are cooking and does not leave the stove unattended for long periods of time. Similarly, look into appliances with automatic shut offs, reducing risks associated with forgetting to turn them off.
Keep a pot lit within reach to address potential grease fires. If a grease fire occurs, slide the pot lid overtop to smother it, turn off the burner, and wait for the pot or pan to cool before removing it from the stovetop.
Clear all flammable items from cooking surfaces. Store towels, oven mitts, and wooden utensils away from the stovetop. Ensure that these items, as well as curtains and food packaging are cleared out of the way, too.
Seniors should be encouraged to wear short sleeved or tight fitting clothing when cooking to reduce fire risk.
Emergency Preparedness
The potential for emergencies is a reality for all American homes, not just the households that include seniors. There are, however, a few considerations that should be made when caring for a senior at home.
Create an Emergency Plan
From medical emergencies to earthquakes and wild fire evacuations, it is vital to create an emergency action plan and that all parties know exactly what needs to be done. This plan should be shared with the senior, all family members, and all caregivers to ensure everyone is on the same page.
As circumstances change, update the emergency plan to address these changes.
Accessible Emergency Contacts
Create a list of emergency contacts, including family and caregivers. This list should be placed in a location that is easily viewable. Consider making copies to keep near every landline extension in the home. For mobile devices, program emergency numbers into the contacts and ensure the senior knows where and how to find the numbers and make a call.
Care for Seniors at Home with Care Indeed
Caring for seniors at home or helping them age in place is a worthwhile endeavor but it is not without its challenges.
However, with careful planning, home safety modifications, and the right support, you can reduce anxiety in your senior loved one and help them maintain their independence and quality of life.
At Care Indeed, it is our mission to provide compassionate, personalized senior care. We offer a range of comprehensive Home Care services to meet the needs of most seniors hoping to remain at home.
From 24-hour live-in care to hourly care and medication management, we are honored to play a role in maintaining the safety and independence of older adults in our community.
Contact us for more information on how Care Indeed can help you and your senior loved one.
