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6 Great Ways to Make Your Elderly Loved One’s Home Safer

Senior Care in Clayton, NC – Making Improvements to Prevent Falls at Your Loved One’s Home

Has your senior ever had a scary fall? Are you the family caregiver now and you both are concerned about whether it will happen again, maybe when you aren’t there? There are some steps you can take to make their home safer for their every day living. By observing your elder’s habits, there are many improvements you can make to their home to ensure greater safety and comfort.

  1. Improve lighting: Sometimes a fall has nothing to do with actual leg strength or balance. Many times it can be a combination of poor vision and dim lighting. If your elder’s home has several burned or dimmed bulbs in the house, be sure to replace them. If the home also has several dark areas after the sun sets, look into buying some more lamps or plug-in wall lights to ensure that your beloved senior can see everywhere they need to walk.
  2. Remove items that cause tripping: Does your elder have any large items on the floor that are just begging to be tripped on? Whether it’s an antique decoration or a dog toy, you want to make sure that the senior’s walkways are constantly clear. Make sure that items constantly found on the floor actually have a destination and insist that your senior use this destination. You can also help in assigning places for things.
  3. Install Hand Rails: Does your house have small sets of stairs that can be tricky for your senior? Consider installing handrails. Even if there are just a few steps in an area where they haven’t fallen before, it’s a reinforcement that will provide another tool for your senior to avoid falling.
  4. Secure Carpets: Are any of the carpets coming unhinged from the stairs or doorways? This is a classic catalyst for tripping and falling. Make sure that all the flooring is secured to the ground and that feet cannot get caught on them.
  5. Install nonslip strips on shower and bathroom floors: Placing a rubber mat on the floor of the bathtub or shower can prevent falling in areas that are normally slippery.
  6. Make items easier to reach: If your senior constantly has to reach on top of a tall bookshelf, a tall refrigerator, or another straining location, the risk of injuring their backs and falling is much greater. Pay attention to out-of-reach places where they must retrieve items from and try and find a new more accessible designation instead.

The articles posted on this blog are provided for general information and discussion purposes only.  These articles are not intended to suggest anything with respect to the operations or services of this office.

If you or an aging loved one are considering non-medical in-home care in Raleigh, NC, call Griswold Home Care and speak to one of our caring staff members today. Call (919) 229-8944

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