Seniors: Make Your Home Safe Again

Volume 4 Issue 40

March 1 2005

Your have gotten older though you do not know when it actually happened. People have started repeating things to you because your hearing is not as good as it used to be. You do not react as quickly to things as your reaction time is not what it was when you were in your 30s or even your 50s. And, your need a light to walk into your bedroom now even though you could see everything clearly in the semi darkness even as late as your mid 40s.
Because you are not what you used to be, your home is not the safe place it used to be with hazards in your home increasing so much you are scared that one of those dangers might injure or kill you someday. But your home can be the safe place it was in your younger years even though you are not what you once were. Here’s how.

The Entry
The entry to your home should have a smooth ground surface that is level and free of potholes or cement cracks with the least amount of stairs possible. Each step as deep as possible to be able to safely use a walker on them with a height of 6 inches or less. With those steps, you need at least one sturdy railing. If you have to have a ramp, its elevation should be 1 foot of ramp for each 1 inch of height you have the ramp meaning if you have to extend a ramp up a 2 foot height, you will need 24 feet of ramp. This elevation allows a person to negotiate a ramp alone in a wheelchair. Make sure steps or ramp have non-slip surface. Have the work done professionally and there are organizations which will do the work for free or reduced fee if you can not afford a professional.
A safe entry for your home will give you more independence and prevent injuries in one of the most hazardous areas of your home.

Bathroom
A bit of prevention can make your bathroom a safe place too. Start with non-slip strips or a rubber bath mat in the tub. Floor bath mats should also be rubber backed to prevent slips. Add well-secured grab bars for help with getting in and out of the tub or shower with bars secured to wall studs or anchored to the tub. There are a variety of such devices on the market. To be even safer, use of a bath bench or secure stool in the tub as opposed to sitting on the bottom of the bathtub.
Use a removable showerhead on an extension hose is fairly inexpensive and easy to have installed. It makes showering much easier especially if sitting on a tub bench. And in the shower, use soap on a rope that is secured to something reachable, to avoid reaching and stooping, not to mention slipping on a dropped soap. After your shower, equip your bathroom with a chair, or if not able to do so, use the toilet as a secure place to sit when drying off and dressing to avoid falls that may occur when trying to perform these tasks in a standing position.
For going to the toilet, use a raised toilet seat with rails around the toilet or a commode around the toilet which makes getting on and off of the toilet easier. And, store linens and towels and other daily used supplies between waist and eye level to avoid reaching and bending, which causes a lot of falls.

Kitchen
Another hazardous place in your home is your kitchen but just a few changes in how you do things can make it a safe place for you again. Keep frequently used dishes and pots and pans between waist and eye level to avoid reaching and bending. Electric can openers are easier on the hands and wrists than hand-turn can openers. Use a damp cloth or one of the several commercially available rubbery devices to open jars. There are devices on the market that anchor up under the cupboard that one can put the jar lid into and turn the jar. And, there are commercially available devices to use in the kitchen to make almost everything easier to grip, including stove knobs. Of course, in the kitchen, you need to be especially safety conscious.
Always be aware of burners and what is on them. Grease spilling out of a pot can cause a fire so keep an eye on things by ignoring distractions such as the doorbell or the phone. The doorbell is likely some pesky salesman you do not want to talk with anyway. Answering machines can take phone messages while you are busy. And, know how to use the fire extinguisher which should be hanging within easy reach in your kitchen. If you do not have a fire extinguisher, read the Safety Issues article on how to buy the right one. If you do not know how to use a fire extinguisher, contact your local fire department which will be happy to show you how. Changing how you do things in the kitchen will make it a safe room in your home again.

Rest of Your Home
Avoid congested rooms; the more stuff in a room, the more likely a fall can occur. Be careful of low overstuffed furniture as it is difficult to get in and out of making low furniture the cause of many falls. Raise chairs or couches 4 inches using commercially available elevation blocks, or just use a piece of 2 x 4 wood. Remove all scatter rugs in the home to avoid falls. If necessary to have them, use some rubber material that you can get at Home Depot or other building supply store under each rug. Make the piece you put under the rug big enough so the edges of the rug are not vulnerable to tripping over.
Use chairs with arms so a person has something to push on. And, in your bedroom, raise the bed if it is too low and hard to get in or out of. In most cases today's beds are too high and we need to get aerobic benches to step up on to safely get into and out of bed.

You
Now, you need to make some changes in what you use to get around so you are even safer in your home. Avoid knit socks or slippers: as walking on linoleum or hardwood floors with these causes many falls. Instead wear good support shoes all of the time; indoors and out, as they provide good foot and ankle support which provides more stability and less fall potential. And, if you use a walker, for easier movement, consider 3 inch front wheels and tennis balls on the back legs, especially if you have thick or loop carpeting.
Add a basket on the walker for carrying things, which keeps hands free to navigate the walker. This avoids a common fall risk. Make these changes in how you get around your home and in your home and your home will be the safe place it was in your younger years.

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