There are a number of reasons why seniors fall within their home. Forget the fact that falling at home is one of the leading causes of accidental deaths for seniors and consider that any fall can be catastrophic for the senior in question. Taking senior home safety seriously is an important component of ensuring that your loved one will be as safe as possible within the home. The first thing that you need to do when it comes to preventing falls, or reducing the risk of a fall, is to recognize the various risks involved. The most important is to understand that there might be health reasons for falls, rather than anything wrong within the home. In other words, there are medical causes of seniors falling, such as poor eyesight or muscle weakness.
While there are certainly some corrective measures that can be taken to help reduce the risk of a fall for seniors, such as having their vision corrected or helping them to strengthen their muscles in appropriate ways for people their age, there are certainly steps that can, and should, be taken to improve safety around the house.
Some of the things that you might be able to do to help your elderly loved one remain safer within their home are listed below. They are derived from a more comprehensive list that the AARP has posted in their article, “Simple Steps to Prevent Falls.”
Secure rugs with double sided tape. This will keep the rug from slipping underneath the person walking on it. Just a minor slip can lead to a loss of balance.
Improve the lighting throughout the home. You want to have even light throughout each room in the house. When the light is uneven, it can make it difficult for the senior to see and they might miss their step.
Make light switches easy to find. There are light switches that you can choose that illuminate when they are off. This can make it much easier to find them in the dark.
Use rubber bath mats. In the bathroom, there are many things that you can do to help improve senior home safety and bath mats and grab bars are two of the most important.
The tub or shower should have at least two grab bars installed (according to the AARP).
You want your elderly loved one to be safe first and foremost and these are some of the safety tips that you can put in place to make their home a better, more comfortable, and safer place in which to live.
