If you have an aging loved one still living at home as opposed to living in a senior living community, one of the most important things that you can do for them is to make sure that they are physically safe in their home. As their age and health change, the ways to keep them safe at home will also change, and you’ll need to be prepared to meet these changes head-on.
To help you in doing this, here are three tips for keeping your aging loved one safe at home.
Add Lots of Extra Lighting
One thing that can make any environment unsafe is if it’s not easy to see what’s going on there. Even if your loved one has been in the same home for years and years, if their eyesight is failing and there’s inadequate lighting in the room, there are all kinds of dangers around that could put your loved one’s health at risk.
Knowing this, you’ll want to make sure that you add extra lighting to every room of their home so that they never have to try to maneuver their way around in the dark. Some of the best lighting options are ones that allow for a dimmer switch so that they can have brighter lights when they need them but have softer lighting when they just need a little extra help seeing what’s going on around them.
Do Everything You Can To Prevent Falls
Falling in the home is one of the biggest risks to any elderly person. When an older person falls, they have a higher likelihood of breaking a bone that can be very painful and take a long time to recover from. They also could hit their head and cause all kinds of damage all over their body, which could be very detrimental to them.
To help keep your loved one from falling at home, you’ll want to remove every possible tripping hazard from the space. This might mean having to do things like removing rugs, putting ramps over steps between rooms or thresholds, giving furniture more space, or even getting rid of pets that could get underfoot.
Put Fail Safes In Place For Accidents
As people age, they can often forget to take certain actions that would help to prevent different types of accidents from taking place. So to ensure that home accidents won’t easily happen, you’ll want to put some fail safes in place.
In your elderly loved one’s home, you should check that all of their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are in good working order. You may also want to encourage them to get a home security system to help detect if doors or windows get left open or if the stove or oven are left on for too long.
If you have a loved one who’s wanting to age in place, consider using the tips mentioned above to help them stay safe while at home.
