Seniors who choose to remain in their homes may need a few home safety tips to remain safe. Keeping their home environment safe is vital to preventing falls and helping them to remain living at home where they feel the most comfortable. Here are 5 home safety tips for seniors that are frequently overlooked. Find best safety tips here: https://homecareassistance.com/blog/home-safety-tips-for-seniors

Bathroom Safety

The bathroom is one room where many seniors fall. It’s important to remove any throw rugs that can create a potential fall hazard. Loose rugs may cause seniors to lose their footing and fall. Other concerns are slippery bathtubs or shower stalls. Using non-slip rubber mats or strips can be a great first step to preventing falls. 

Bath safety bars are a must for seniors. There are different kinds that can be installed including those that fit over the edge of the bathtub itself. A shower chair with rubber feet to prevent falls and a handheld shower wand are all ideal options to help prevent falls in the bathroom. 

Lighting

Light up those dark corners and consider installing lights that come on as soon as it becomes dark. Consider night lights as well. Many seniors become more nocturnal and will wander around at night. Proper lighting can help to ensure that they can see where they’re going and ensure that they’re less likely to fall. 

Replace any burned out lights or broken lights and make sure that seniors can readily reach the switches to turn the lights on and off. 

Home Living Areas

Consider replacing stairs with ramps or stairlifts. Many seniors stumble on the stairs and it can be frustrating to want to be in a room in the home but have to climb or descend the stairs to reach their favorite sitting area. Arthritic hands may struggle to open doorknobs so consider levers for door handles in lieu of doorknobs that may be harder to turn. 

Again, remove throw rugs that may catch on feet, remove piles of magazines or other clutter that may be a stumbling block. Many seniors have rooms cleared out so that they can more readily navigate the rooms with their wheelchairs and walkers or so that they won’t have trip hazards in the room. 

Safety Features

If there isn’t a peephole in the door, have one installed at the proper height for your loved one. It’s important to know who is at the door before opening the door. Make sure that doors are easy to lock from the inside and have good strong deadbolts. Remind seniors to lock doors and windows. 

Make sure that phones have large enough numbers for seniors to safely use them and remind seniors to not give out personal information or talk with anyone that they don’t know. There are many scams out there and they tend to prey on seniors. 

Kitchen Safety

Make sure that the hot water heater is set to a temperature that won’t scald tender skin. Clear clutter off of counters and other areas so that seniors won’t be injured. 

Bring items used frequently to levels that the seniors can reach. Preventing injury is the most important thing to do to help seniors stay safe at home. 

These tips will go far in helping seniors to remain safe in their own homes where they are most comfortable. Check-in on seniors often to ensure their safety.

No matter how safe our loved one’s house is, we can’t stop worrying about the senior parents living alone, A safety alert app can help you stay in peace of mind.