Keep Your Loved One Safe While Aging In Place With These Three Simple Home Fixes

If you are talking with your loved one about the possibility of them aging in place over the next few years you will want to make sure you take every step possible to insure her/his safety. There are a number of things you can do to protect them, with some of these items being easier and others a bit more involved.

The items on this short list are relatively easy and will have a big impact on your loved one’s ability to live independently while also maintaining a level of safety that is necessary to avoid an injury. You may be able to make some of these home fixes yourself, but if you are not comfortable with any of them it may be in your best interest to hire someone to do them for you.

If you take on these first three simple home fixes you will then be able to rest easy that your loved one is living independently and safely without major concern that she/he will face issues as they begin their aging in place journey.

• Check that all the lights in the home are working properly. This is particularly important in areas like the bathroom or the kitchen where slip and fall accidents often occur. If they are all working properly, you may then decide that you want to brighten the room with a whiter, brighter light to make sure that visibility is at the peak of possibility with the lighting that is already in the room. If a room is particularly dark, you may want to change the lighting out so you can add more lighting that will give better visibility in the room.
• Inspect the floors in the home. Floors can be a sneaky dangers in a home, especially if mobility is a problem. You should take the first easy step and rid any floors in the house of clutter or cords that could be tripping hazards. Once you’ve investigated and resolved that issue you may want to inspect the floor further for any nails or tiles that have pulled up over the years that could cause a tripping hazard. Finally, if there are any area rugs in the home you may want to remove those as they are often difficult for folks with poor mobility to navigate.
• Address the bathroom. For someone aging in place, the bathroom can be a dangerous place. Falling in the shower or on a slippery bathroom floor can be devastating and lead to your loved one losing some of her/his independence due to safety concerns. Here you can hang grab bars in the bathroom where appropriate and make sure that there are anti-slip mats in the shower and even possibly by the vanity so your loved one can traverse the bathroom safely.

Depending on your level of confidence in making these simple home fixes you may wish to hire someone to help you take care of these items. These three items will allow you to leave your loved one at their home alone without supervision (assuming they are medically able to be independent) and not be as concerned with their safety as you otherwise might be.

When you’ve completed these simple steps you may want to do a deeper dive into other areas of the home like the appliances, fireplaces and kitchen accessories that might present a hazard to your loved one who is aging in place.