Slips Trips & Falls: Making Your Home Environment Safe As You Age
Falls are common, but there are a lot of things that you can do to reduce the frequency of falls and to make your home environment safe for family members. You may want to make changes to your home now so it is safe as you get older, or make the environment safer for family members in your home. Here are my tips and tricks to preventing falls and things to think about when buying a house.
Lighting:
As we get older, our night vision and other senses are not as sharp as when we were younger. Nightlights, especially the ones that turn on automatically, can help us navigate the home at night without tripping.
Steps:
When I say steps, that is anything between one and a full flight of stairs. Just one step can be troublesome for someone who has difficulty with mobility and balance. Sometimes the one to three steps leading into the house do not have a handrail. Make sure that stairs have a handrail or grab bar to assist with mobility.
Bathroom:
Many home bathrooms are not large enough to accommodate a walker or wheelchair. If you are looking to buy a house, you can make sure the bathrooms can accommodate a walker or wheelchair by measuring it and comparing it to the recommendations on the ADA website. While this list is written for public facilities, it can be helpful to determine how accessible your home is. Install grab bars by the toilet and shower, and use a chair in the shower to prevent falls.