How to Seniorize the Family Home

 By Catherine Powell

Image courtesy Pixabay

I can still recall having to climb over baby gates and untie cabinet handles that my sister had sealed shut to keep her toddler from getting into anything that could cause harm.  Several decades later I found myself doing much the same to keep my elderly mom from injuring herself.  Only instead of installing devices to keep an 80-something out, I invested a considerable amount of time and money looking for ways to keep mom from slipping, tripping, or burning herself as she navigated the family home.  If you're a baby boomer like me and are facing serious safety issues with your aging parents, the following ten tips could save you some sleepless nights while saving your loved one a trip to the emergency room.

#1: Clear out excess furniture & carpets.  To you, a room may look like a cozy place to rest.  But to the elderly, any room can be an obstacle course fraught with peril.  One of the first things you can do to improve safety in the home is to either move or remove anything that can pose a trip hazard, like throw rugs, magazine racks, and the like.  Assess every room in the home with an eye toward eliminating clutter and establishing clear, wide paths for your folks to navigate. 

#2: Preventing slip & fall incidents is extremely important since the elderly tend to break bones when they take a tumble.  In fact, this is the number one reason for elderly ER visits.  While you and I may use nonslip mats in the bathtub, if you want to keep seniors safe, you should consider positioning nonslip mats in other areas  where your folks have tile floors, such as the kitchen and laundry room.  You can also install scuff strips on concrete walkways and outdoor stairs, since these tend to get quite slick when it rains.  Make sure you seal any cracks in concrete sidewalks and driveways that could pose a trip hazard as well.

#3: Stairways are like highways to the danger zone for seniors.  Going up stairs is like climbing a mountain to them, since a fall can prove fatal.  There are several things you can do to help seniors safely navigate stairs.  Indoors you can install railings on both sides of any stairways that are a minimum or 1 1/2 inches in diameter.  Outside you should consider adding motion-sensor lights to illuminate any stairs your parents will need to negotiate when entering or leaving their home.  If your parents are finding it hard to climb stairs to the second floor, you may need to install a stair lift to help them move up and down stairs safely.

#4: Converting a kitchen from hazard to haven takes some thought since there are so many ways that seniors can injure themselves there.  Stretching to reach things on the top shelf is one sure way to lose one's balance.  Making shelving more accessible can be as simple as moving everything off the top shelf and adding roll-out trays to make accessing items easier.  Lazy Susans are also a great way to organize shelves to simplify matters  So is swapping out opaque cabinet doors for glass ones that make it possible to see what's inside without having to open the cabinet.  It also wouldn't be a bad idea to install grab bars near the stove to make it a snap for your folks to steady themselves whenever they cook.  

Image courtesy Pixabay

#5: Bathrooms are one of the scariest places for seniors.  The older you get the harder it is to negotiate tight spaces.  Tile floors get slippery when wet.  Taking a tumble in the tub can mean a trip to the ER or worse.  The keys to making bathrooms less likely to cause injury is the judicial addition of non-slip floor mats and strategically placed grab bars designed to provide stability.  This means adding bars to the bath and shower enclosure, as well as next to the toilet.  Retrofitting a shower with a fold down seat isn't a bad idea either to increase safety by making it possible to shower while sitting.  This could also necessitate swapping out a traditional shower head for a handheld one with a 6-foot hose.

#6: Supersize controls to make them easier to read.  As we age, reading acuity diminishes.  This makes it hard to read things like thermostat settings, remote controls, phones, appliances, computers, and more.  To remedy this situation you may need to swap out some existing devices for ones that sport extra large print. 

#7: Wheelchair access may require an extensive refit of an existing home since everything from doorways and stairs may prove impossible to negotiate.  Ramps may need to be added, carpeting and molding may need to be removed to make it easier to roll around the home.  While some of these items can be a DIY project, others may require the assistance of a local contractor.

Image courtesy Amazon

#8: Opening and closing doors can be problematic for seniors.  That's why they manufacture automatic door openers that make it as easy as hitting a button to gain entry to the home.  While not cheap, you can buy kits that range in price from $400-$800.  Some even come with key fob remotes that make opening the front door as easy as opening the garage door.

#9: If either parent has arthritic hands, consider converting twist doorknobs to lever knobs that are designed to press down to open.  Lever-style knobs are available at hardware stores for $20-$30 each.  Electronic jar openers can also be purchased for $15-$40 that will make life in the kitchen a lot easier for your senior.

#10: How do you pay for all these things?  Fortunately, there are various kinds of assistance to help the elderly make their homes more livable.  Everything from home improvement grants to low-interest loans are available for elderly homeowners.  Some non-profit organizations offer free labor to help with home improvement projects like building wheelchair ramps and the like.  Some organizations and charities even offer to lend everything from wheelchairs and walkers to medical devices and hospital beds to the elderly.  A Google search on any of these topics will provide you with resources designed to help you source what your aging parents need most.

Catherine Powell is the owner of A Plus All Florida, Insurance in Orange Park, Florida.  To find out more about saving money on all your insurance needs, check out her website at http://aplusallfloridainsuranceinc.com