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Health & Fitness

In home safety: "Seniorizing" Your Home

Retirement communities are nice, but a lot of seniors would rather live out their years in their own home. They are more comfortable there and, in today’s world, it makes financial sense. The annual cost for an assisted living facility is roughly $34,000 a year and can even be closer to $70,000 a year if you live in a big city like New York. However, as a person ages, living in their home can become challenging and even hazardous. If an elderly parent is having a tough time moving around in their home, health problems and medication side effects could make this worse and raise the danger of falling which could lead to a broken hip.In extension to some key steps like keeping the floors clean and clutter-free, there are a few things that can be done to make it easier and safer for your elderly parent to get around in their home.Shower and bath tub grab bars in bathrooms. This is an extremely important item in home safety. This doesn’t mean using a towel bar; buy the best quality grab bar that you can afford and place it with blocking in a wall or a blind fastening system. They should be positioned beside the toilet and one right outside the shower and/or tub in each bathroom. Grab bars come in different kinds of textures and colors now so it’s easy to coordinate it with the bathroom.Railings. Your elderly parent needs to feel safe around their home going up and down the stairs. Make sure railings are installed on both sides of all staircases; for wide staircases, use extendable railings.Medical alert systems. Most seniors prefer to have some privacy which is understandable. Putting in a medical alert system will not only give them their privacy, but you peace of mind. An emergency pull-cord is also a good idea to be set up in each bathroom and connected to a phone.Nonslip mats. Using nonslip mats in the bathroom or on any other floor surface will help the senior from slipping; place a nonslip insert in each shower or tub to keep washing safe for your parent. Also, be sure to get rid of scatter rugs since they can cause an elderly person to trip or slip and fall.Lighting. Many elderly don’t realize they can’t see so well in lower wattage lighting, so provide higher wattage light bulbs like 60 or 75 watts. Night lights are a big help too; put one in each bathroom and one or two in the kitchen and living room. A sensor night light is probably a good choice for the elderly because they don’t have to remember to turn it on or off, it goes on when it’s night and turns off when it’s morning.Door levers. Those that have arthritis may find it hard to turn a regular door knob. So replace those knobs with door levers; they’re easy to change and it won’t take much time at all.Remote entrance to home. Seniors will find it easier to open the door by simply pressing a button on a keyless entry remote rather than trying to get that key in the lock. Also, provide a ramp from the driveway to your front door and make sure to keep it free of things like potted plants. It will be easier for your parent to walk a ramp rather than negotiate a bunch of steps.Accessible bathroom fixtures. A lot of seniors have problems lowering themselves to sit on a traditional height toilet; so replace that toilet with a higher height one or buy a toilet extender seat. As for showers, a walk-in shower is the best complete with nonslip floor, grab bars and either a removable or permanent seat. They also have walk-in bath tubs now that also have grab bars, a nonslip floor and a seat; some even have air jets. To avoid burning, make sure the hot water is set at a minimum temperature.None of us want to see anything bad happen to our parents as they go through their senior years. Following the advice above will provide them with a safe home that will let them be comfortable and independent. If you have any questions or concerns please contact us. We are always here to help! Heartwarming Care

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