Did you ever think that keeping the gutters clean before winter was all that important? Well, when it comes to senior home safety, it is extremely important, especially if your elderly loved one relies on a walker, a cane, or has wheelchair ramps installed. The reason is actually quite simple and it goes to the purpose of the gutters in the first place. Roofs of houses overhang the side so that rainwater can run down and be carried way from the foundation. If water begins to pool around the foundation of the house, then it can begin to find weak points and enter into the foundation. Minimizing this risk is important for the longevity of the home.
Gutters, on the other hand, are designed to carry that rainwater that comes down off the roof toward pipes that lead it farther away from the house, ensuring that the ground around the house is as dry as possible during wet weather. While there’s nothing you could really do about keeping snow away from the foundation, it’s the rain that you need to be concerned with.
Now, when gutters become clogged with leaves and the occasional stick, this can cause them to become backed up. When the gutters back up, the rainwater will then begin to overflow them, splashing water all over the walkways, decks, patios, and everywhere else. If you get rain on a cold night, this water could ice over and become thick, then you could have a potentially dangerous situation on your hand.
You want to make sure that any wheelchair ramps or walkways are free and clear of ice and other problems, so you want to make sure that once all of the leaves fall for the season that you have the gutters cleaned.
While you can certainly clean the gutters yourself, if the ground is not level, then you don’t want to place a ladder there. You should consider hiring a professional to come by and clean out the gutters for your elderly loved one. Even if you are planning on cleaning up the leaves around the property, you’ll be able to find a company that will stop by just to clean the gutters.
Gutters are one of the aspects of senior home safety that are often overlooked because, honestly, we don’t think much about them, even when they’re clogged and overflowing. However, keeping them clean and clear is important not only for the property, but for anyone coming to the house as well.
