Tips for home safety for elderly, prevent falls at home and safe home for old people.
Home Safety For Elderly
Old age is really the repetition of your childhood years, only with physical limitations that if ignored can lead to serious complications. If you thought only kids were vulnerable to injuries, you might want to think again or reconsider your judgement. Old people are equally or probably even more vulnerable to injuries and accidents. To strengthen this claim, browse through your news papers, you might just come across news articles on old people meeting serious accidents within domestic spaces. Isn't it ironic that our houses which are considered to be safe places can also double up as belts of danger for the elderly? This is why it is a must to take measures that assure the safety of the elderly. If this is not done, it can lead to serious and regrettable repercussions. Here, it is just a matter of realizing the unique concerns and abilities of old people and then arranging or remodelling your homes to minimize the risk of accidents. Surf through the points that are to follow. These points can help you practice home safety for the elderly:
- If there are old people in the house, it is advisable to replace all doorknobs with levers since levers make it easier for an old person to use a door or window.
- The elderly can find it difficult to locate switch boards in a dark room and in the process of locating a switch they can even bang into furniture. To prevent such a mishap, it would make sense to have illuminated light switches in all rooms of your house.
- If you can afford it, nothing can be better than using a clap-on, clap-off light system. In a house with old people, this can prove to be a huge advantage. Sometimes, it is better to use technology and make life simpler for everyone.
- Most old people fall victim to slippery floors either inside the house or in the bathroom. It is advisable to have slip-resistant flooring or place non-skid mats under rugs.
- Areas like doorsteps, courtyard entrances or any other thresholds where the elderly are likely to trip over should be made as low as possible. Lower thresholds can minimise the chances of accidents.
- Make it a point to have just low-pile carpets if the aged in your house use walkers to move around. Using low-pile carpets will ensure that the walker does not get stuck to the edge and will prevent the person using it from falling over.
- If you can afford it, install a lift at your home. This will make movement between two floors exceptionally easy. As for stairways, you should provide railings on both sides of the same. The railings can help make a stairway a lot safer for an old person.
- All rooms of the house should be well lit. There always is the chance of an old person bumping into something if a room is not well lit. Make it a point to provide every room with enough lights to keep at bay accidents of any sort.
- You cannot expect the elderly to enter a house by easily handling a door, removing footwear, a coat or jacket; it's just not done this way. Make life simpler for them by providing a place at the entrance where they can keep the keys, hang the coat and rest the packets.
- Irrespective of age, the bathroom in a house just happens be the area most prone to accidents. However, the elderly are more susceptible than a youngster. To prevent accidents in the bathroom you can install in the same shower grab bars and toilet grab bars. To make it simpler for aging family members, you can place a walk-in bath-tub in your bathroom.
- Make use of faucets with a single control for both hot and cold water. Having faucets with a single control will reduce confusion and chances of accidental burns.
- To ensure that the kitchen is safe for the elderly to work in, make it a point to have a working area that is lower than usual. You can also design the placement of essential equipments that will make life easier for not just the elderly, but everyone else at home.