Today, more than 25% of elderly people experience a fall of some sort. Plenty of others make mistakes when taking their medication, or deal with other issues that can put their health and safety in peril.
When you’re over a certain age, or if you have relatives that are elderly, even your own home can create some dangerous scenarios. Thankfully, there are a number of tips you can apply to counteract some of these issues.
If you live by yourself or have a relative that you need to help, consider the tips below for helping improving home safety for elderly people.
1. Keep Everything Fixed and in the Best Condition
Take the time to make sure that every fixture in the home is at its absolute best. This means taking the time to get the home inspected no less than once per year, and making the required repairs.
Be sure that you’re getting work done on the heating and cooling system, plumbing, electricity, the structural integrity of the building, the roof, and so much more. That way, you won’t deal with unnecessary risks in the home.
2. Strengthen Rails and Use Ramps and Other Devices When Necessary
Stairs are an asset in your household, but they can also become a hindrance if they’re not looked after. Most importantly, make sure that the rails that you hold onto are strong and not loose.
When they are shaky or getting ready to fall apart, you make it more likely to experience a serious fall. You can also make your home safer by installing ramps or lifts in your home. Be just as diligent about taking care of your interior stairs and walkways as you are about caring for exterior ones.
Working with professional wheelchair ramp installers will help you out more than you know.
3. Install New Lighting Fixtures to Brighten Up Your Household
Make sure that you’re also doing everything in your power to handle visibility issues in the household. In addition to installing natural lighting, set up some quality LED lights so that there are no blind spots in your household.
When you’re having trouble seeing clearly, you’re always leaving yourself open to a litany of hazards. Replacing your lights will also reduce the chance that you deal with electrical shock or fires.
4. Post Emergency Contact Information Prominently
The last thing you want is confusion or hesitancy when you are dealing with an emergency. You cut a lot of this out by setting up emergency contact information and making sure that it’s posted prominently.
You would also do well to invest in alert systems that notify the authorities or people close to you if an emergency happens.
5. Ramp Up Your Home Security
Finally, make sure that you are always investing in home security. Setting up alarm systems and motion detector lights will greatly reduce the risk of break-ins and other problems.
Get a safety and security audit in your home to make sure you aren’t overlooking potential risk factors.
Focus on Home Safety For Elderly
Home safety for elderly people is something that should be a top priority for you. When you follow the tips in this article, your home will be as safe as possible.
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