What is Senior-Proofing?
Much is made of child-proofing a home yet little is made of senior-proofing. There is a general assumption that kids are more of a threat in terms of health and safety than seniors, simply because they are loud and rambunctious. However, failing to senior-proof a home can lead to a nasty and potentially deadly fall. The solution is to sweat all the small stuff of your home. Make alterations to the living space, implement adaptive equipment, rearrange the furniture, modify the space and even consider adding a monitoring device. These are just some examples of tools and equipment that help with elder proofing a house.
Common Home Accidents for the Elderly
The most common fatal home accident for senior citizens is falling. A fall has the potential to cause a broken bone or another injury that leads to a downward spiral that ultimately results in death. Senior-proofing is essential for preventing such a potentially deadly fall. Aside from falls, additional examples of common home accidents suffered by elderly individuals include fires, burns, choking and other incidents pertaining to food.
Tips to Prevent Falls in Elderly
If you are like most people, you are interested in how to make stairs safer for elderly. It merely takes one fall to lead to a broken bone and spending the next six months or longer in bed. You can do your part to prevent your mother, father or other relative from falling by encouraging him or her to remain physically active. Regular hearing and vision tests are also necessary.
Take a close look at the small print of the medicine in the medicine cabinet. If the medicine results in side effects that have the potential to cause a fall, substitute in a different medication. Assistive devices, the guidance of a home health aide and encouraging the senior to go slowly will also help prevent falls.
Monitoring Systems for Seniors
Though a monitoring system for the senior you love so much might seem a bit similar to a baby monitoring system or a pet monitoring system, it will eventually become a necessity. Install a monitoring system at the patient’s home and you will always have a clear view of him or her in the house. Though such a system has the potential to cost a pretty penny, it is worth it and then some as it provides a live look in at a loved one, meaning you will quickly know if he or she suffers a fall or has another accident. The home monitoring system just might save your loved one’s life.
Safety Alarms for Seniors
A safety alarm is a bit different from a monitoring system in that it empowers patients to call for help in the event that a phone cannot be reached. Ideally, the senior in your life will have a safety alarm for such a scenario. The alarm’s activation summons assistance from emergency support personnel, ensuring someone is always available in the event that assistance is necessary.
Home Devices for Elderly
Additional family support and care is necessary throughout the aging process. Bones, eyesight and other parts of the body gradually age as time progresses. Home devices for the elderly facilitate comfortable and safe living in the home. Opt for the right devices and your loved one’s house will be equipped with the devices, tools and equipment necessary to enjoy a decent quality of life without leaving the house to live in a nursing home, assisted living facility or other group living space.
The challenge lies in selecting the best possible home devices for the elderly person in your life. Lean on our home healthcare assistants for advice regarding the best home devices for elderly based on your parent’s unique challenges as well as the living environment and you’ll sleep soundly knowing you have taken full advantage of technological innovation.
Examples of some of the top home devices to senior-proof a house include the Ring Alarm system for home monitoring, the Wyze lock that automatically locks/unlocks doors and the Apple Watch with blood oxygen monitoring. However, those are only some of the examples of the top home devices for elderly. Continue to monitor the market for new additions and you’ll find new home devices for elderly hit the market with regularity.
Elderly Fall Prevention Devices
The last thing you need is for the senior you care for to suffer a fall. A single fall can prove deadly, especially if the senior in question is an octogenarian or has previous health problems. Grab bars positioned on bathroom walls, raised toilet seats, non-slip mats and handlebars in the shower are examples of devices that will provide seniors with the stability necessary to avoid falling.
Best Fall Mat for Elderly
Bedside fall mats are cushioned items positioned at one’s bedside to prevent a fall that has the potential to lead to a painful injury. Take a look at the fall mats for the elderly on the market and you will find no shortage of options. The right fall mat for elderly will cushion the fall, ensuring it isn’t as painful or harmful as it would otherwise be. Even if your parent or grandparent needs only slight assistance getting out of bed, a fall mat will prove quite helpful, improving safety, well-being and peace of mind.
How to Keep Seniors Safe at Home
Keeping a senior safe while in the house doesn’t seem difficult on the surface yet is actually quite challenging. A single slip, trip and fall can lead to a broken bone and an early death. Furthermore, there are other threats present within seniors’ homes that can also lead to a painful injury and a lengthy road to recovery.
You can do your part to keep the senior you love so much safe at home by pinpointing all safety risks and hazards then mitigating or eliminating them. Remove all items that protrude into walkways. Add the senior-proofing devices noted above, tap into the expertise and assistance of an experienced home health aide and you’ll rest easy knowing you have done your part to prevent an injury to your parent or other relative enjoying the golden years of life at home.