Many seniors can’t live alone in their houses because the houses aren’t safe for them. For those who want to live independently, there are a few things that you need to ensure you do before they are safe. First, you need to ensure that the houses are accident-proof. It’s not like you’ll avert all accidents, but you’ll at least keep them to a minimum. Here are a few ways in which you can ensure that you accident-proof a home for the elderly.
Create Walking Paths
You want to ensure that you get rid of all the unused furniture first. You’ll be more or less decluttering the space for the elderly to have clear walking paths. On those paths, you then need to get rid of all tripping hazards. Next, you need to get rid of rugs or even secure them if they need to be there. You can secure the rugs by adding non-slip mats under the rugs. This should be done along all pathways around the house.
Adapt Your Bathroom
The bathroom is the next place you need to ensure it is safe for them to use. You can add guard rails in the bathrooms, and also add a shower chair for elderly. This will give them something to hold on to as they walk around there. It also ensures that they don’t slip and fall in the bathroom when their feet are wet.
Extra Lighting
They are likely losing a bit in terms of their sight. Therefore, you need to add extra lighting to the house so that they can see where they are heading. When there is minimal lighting, visibility will be reduced, and the chances of accidents are quite higher than when the house is well-lit.
Move Living Needs to One Floor
If the house has an upstairs, you will need to move all their living needs to one floor. You don’t want the senior citizen trying hard to get up and down the stairs when they need to get something. When they go up, and down the staircase, this may present some difficulty and injuries. If you can, rearrange the main floor and have it carry all they need. Have the bathroom and other essential areas they normally go to on the same floor.
Have Lamps Placed Rightly on Tables
The elderly need to get to lights as easily as they possibly could. Also, with their sights being a bit affected by age, they need the light to see what they are doing. That’s why you need to have the lamps on the table placed appropriately. The lamps also need to be in a position that they can be easily turned on. You can also add lights to the hallways to allow easy movement of the elderly in the house.
Ways to Make Your House Accident Proof
When you have an older adult in the house, they don’t want to burden you. They’ll want to move around independently, and that’s why you need to set up the house to accommodate them. Here are some of the ways you can make the house accident proof for them.
