So many elderly people are adamant that they want to stay in their own home for as long as possible, but as your parents get older and become frailer, it is likely that you will worry more about them. Of course, taking away your parents independence is the last thing you’ll want to do but if their home is no longer the safest place for them, you may feel as though you don’t have any other choice.
Thankfully, before you have to have the difficult conversation about moving your parents out of their family home, there are lots of ways you can make their surroundings much safer for them. A few small changes can help to reduce the amount you worry about them and allow them to continue living independently for even longer. So, below are some useful tips for making your loved one’s home a safer place for them to live.
Remove any potential trip and fall hazards
Unfortunately, trips and falls aren’t uncommon amongst the elderly, and you should try to remove any potential hazards to reduce the risk of injury. This is probably one of the easiest yet most effective things you can do to help keep them safe at home, so remove any;
- Unnecessary pieces of furniture that aren’t being used
- Rugs with curled edges and no anti-slip underlay
- Cables and wires that are stretched across the floor
- Piles of clutter that can be kept elsewhere
Ideally, you should try to ensure that your loved ones always have a clear path to get from room to room and that it is easy for them to navigate their own home, even if they’re not as stable on their feet as they used to be.
Install additional support and better lighting
Generally speaking, homes aren’t designed very well for elderly people. They don’t tend to have lots of things that can be held onto and some areas can be quite dark too. To help your loved ones move around with ease and without fear of falling it is worthwhile installing;
- Grab bars beside the toilet, the bed and any chairs that are used regularly
- A bathing chair in the bathtub/shower
- Double handrails up the stairs or even a stairlift
- Nightlights in the hallways
- More light fixtures in dimly lit rooms
- Motion sensor lighting in outdoor areas
Making a few of these small adjustments can help to ensure that there is always something for your parents to hold onto if they need it and that they will always be able to see where they’re walking, day or night.
Consider swapping some rooms around
Often, when living in the family home, your elderly parents will have lots of rooms that they don’t tend to use any more and some of these may be more suitable than the ones they are currently using. This can be a slightly bigger job, but it is worthwhile considering whether you should swap some rooms around.
For example, if they have an office downstairs that is no longer used, would this be a better master bedroom? And, if they have a pantry or storage room, would this be better as a downstairs toilet? Try to think about how you can make daily life and the flow of the old family home easier for your elderly parents.
Arrange household and domestic care services
Staying on top of daily household chores can become more difficult for your parents as they get older and this won’t only mean that they’re living in an untidy home, but it can also make their home unsafe too. Simply arranging for some basic household and domestic care services can make such a big difference in this regard.
A home care agency will be able to help with everything from cleaning and vacuuming to changing bed linen and doing the ironing nowadays. They will ensure that your parents are living in a clean, tidy and safe environment, and that they’re never struggling to do things that they don’t like to ask for your help with.
Making your elderly parent’s home safer
Hopefully, the tips above will be beneficial and you can use them to make some changes to your loved one’s home, enabling them to stay here for as long as they want to. Of course, as their needs change over time, you may have to reassess a few things, but for now, just making a few simple adaptations to their home should help to put your mind at ease and keep them both safe and happy living independently.
Should you wish to use household and domestic care service for your elderly parents, please don’t hesitate to contact us here at Beloved Homecare. We offer a number of incredibly useful services to those who are determined to stay independent and we can help with lots of day to day tasks. We pride ourselves on providing the highest standards of care and we can assure you that every member of our caring team will go above and beyond to help in any way they’re able to. We look forward to hearing from you and helping you with the services you need.