Even though a lot of things in your home may not pose a risk to you, there are many things that can make daily living more risky for an elderly person living in your home. If you have a parent who is living with you who also has some healthy issues, then consider making your home less hazardous by doing the following three things.
Change Your Flooring
First off, all types of slippery flooring need to be removed or covered in some way. Specifically, wood floors, tile, and linoleum are slippery, especially for an elderly person who does not have great balance.
If you have any of these types of flooring, add rugs to these floors that will cover a majority of the walk area. You can also have new carpet installed in the rooms where carpet is appropriate. Avoid carpet in the bathroom though because moisture can get trapped in the fibers and can harbor bacteria.
By changing the flooring, you can make your home safer so that your parent does not slip and get hurt.
Provide Bathroom Supports
Another important area to take care of is the bathroom. Getting up and sitting down on the toilet can be especially difficult for an elderly person who does not have great balance or who has to use a walker.
Instead of leaving your toilet as it is, you need to get supports that attach to the floor. These supports go on both sides of the toilet, and look kind of like the bars on a walker. You can also get supports that have grips on the handles for greater comfort. This will allow your parent to transition to the toilet without falling to one side or the other.
When it is time to get up, the bars can be used to push your parent up and forward without having any problems.
Add Bedroom Safety
Lastly, you need to add safety features to your parent's bedroom. This can help your parent to avoid falling out of bed, and he or she will be able to get into bed without straining.
One of the best bedroom supports is a hand ladder that you can attack at the end of the bed. This little ladder should be coated in silicone or a grip material, and the tool will lay right on the bed and will reach up to the pillow.
When your parent needs to get into bed, he or she can grab onto the ladder bars, hold onto a couple of them, and lower his or her body onto the bed while returning the ladder to the bed.
When getting out of bed, your parent can reach for the ladder and pull his or her body upright. For continued support, your elderly parent can hold onto the ladder bars until he or she is standing.
By adding these three safety features to your home, you can make daily living safer for your elderly parent who can get hurt more easily than you.
For further information, visit a web site such as that of Always Dependable.
