Your home should be a safe place and a catalyst for joy, but as we age, it can produce a range of new hazards.
These common pitfalls pose a major safety risk and often lead to serious injuries like falls that may require complex treatment or long recoveries. Even though falls are one of the most common injuries for seniors, they don’t have to be.
In this guide, you will discover some simple and cost-effective methods that you can use to quickly make the home safer for you and your loved ones!
The importance of home safety
As we age, everyday household tasks can become more difficult.
Simple chores like vacuuming, washing dishes, or doing laundry can quickly become burdensome tasks. Additionally, the loss of dexterity, range of motion, or even some cognitive function makes interacting with the items and appliances inside your home increasingly difficult.
These new challenges are compounded by the effects of an unproductive space, and a once familiar area can quickly become an unpredictable hazard if high-risk spots are not properly addressed.
A safe in-home environment can increase the independence and safety of seniors for years to come. It can also bring additional benefits for patients beginning to wrestle with cognitive issues like dementia and Alzheimer’s.
An organized space keeps seniors safe
One of the best ways to improve the quality of your in-home environment is to start with a thorough cleaning.
Your everyday clutter can quickly become a hazard for people with balance and mobility issues and lead to falls that could have been easily avoided. Taking care of your space is a sure way to improve how people interact with it, especially seniors.
Introducing some additional organizational tools, like labels, containers, and designated spots for items can also improve how your loved ones operate in the long term. These routines and easy-to-use tools can improve the way patients with dexterity and memory interact with the environment they’re in, especially in familiar spaces like the home.
Beyond routines and organization, there are simple improvements that can be made in and throughout the house that bring significant benefits at little or no cost.
Five Cost-Effective Home Improvements
To help you get started with your simple home improvement projects, we’ve compiled a list of some fundamental projects that can be tackled in an afternoon or over the weekend!
1. Enhancing Lighting: This home project can widely vary in cost but is cheap to start and is a no-brainer when it comes to seniors improving their in-home mobility.
Brightening up high-traffic areas and difficult terrain in the home allows you and your loved ones to see problems early and better avoid them. Combining this with a clean house and other fall prevention methods will significantly mitigate clutter-based falls in the home.
2. Handrails: If your home has multiple floors or any number of difficult stairs or ledges, it may be a good time to consider handrails. There are a wide variety of solutions fit for any home style, and most projects start around $100 for supplies.
Some simple projects, like a wall or door-mounted rail, can be handled at home, but please consult a professional before taking on any large projects.
3. Replacing Door Knobs: Turning a doorknob or dealing with a difficult handle may become increasingly difficult for seniors with strength or dexterity issues like arthritis.
Installing a pull-based door handle can add extra ease of use for seniors looking to get around the home and generally start at around $25 per door!
4. Grab Bars: These helpful wall placements operate similarly to handrails but allow for some extra pull force to be used. That additional strength makes grab bars an excellent tool for tricky areas like showers and bathrooms or tasks that require a transition from sitting to standing.
Most grab bars are screwed into the wall, making them an easy afternoon project, and can start as low as $15 per bar depending on the length and material!
5. Making Safer Surfaces by Removing Rugs: Carpeting and rugs can be a difficult surface for seniors with balance and mobility issues. While some pitfalls can be avoided with the right pair of shoes, it is best to remove slippery or unsecured areas rugs to prevent you or your loved one from tripping and falling. The best part is, starting this project only costs a little bit of time and may even make you some money if you find a good new home for that area rug!
Larger projects, like removing carpet, will cost much more time and money than removing area rugs, and it is best to consult a professional for this work.
Want to know just how safe your home can be? Get a free in-home safety assessment!
Westchester Family Care is an independent in-home care provider specializing in making the home the perfect place for your aging family members, no matter the condition.
We have an extensive network of professionals and contractors ready to help you make your home the best it can be!
Contact WFC for an immediate family need or when planning for future needs: info@westfamilycare.com, 914-223-8067, www.westchesterfamilycare.com