Safety for the Aging – Preventing Falls in and Around Your Home

Guest Blogger #474, Entry #1101, April 17, 2012

If there’s any place where we should feel secure, it would be our homes. Yet, even if we live in a safe neighborhood with flood lighting and house alarms, there is still something that we’re all at risk of and that’s falling.

This is especially of great concern to our elders because as we get older, our bones become more fragile which makes a bone brake or even an ankle sprain, for them, more than a little inconvenient. It could actually be potentially devastating. So, when it comes to securing senior safety to prevent falls both in and around your home, here are some tips to keep mind.

Ensure floors are safe and dry for walking

Image via: 7001 Spring  Ville Court

Watch the floor’s surfaces.

If your home flooring basically consists of hard wood and tile, that can be aesthetically attractive, but also a big fall risk for seniors. Be sure to have a couple of floor mats around, especially in the entrances of your front and back doors so that if they have wet or slippery soles, they can gain wipe off their feet before walking around the house. However, when it comes to throw rugs, studies show that more people fall with rugs than without with them, so you may want to consider rolling those up in places where an older person may be moving about.

Keep the lights on.

Night lights are not something that has an age demographic on its packaging. At nighttime, be sure to have them on in hallways, kitchens and bathrooms so that if the senior in your life needs to use the bathroom in the middle of the night or wants a drink of water, they can clearly navigate from room to room. Also be sure to have some motion-censored lighting outdoors so that they can see porch or deck steps and any holes in the yard that may be difficult to see at dusk or dawn.

Secure your bathroom.

When it comes to leg and hip fractures, many of them happen while in taking a bath or shower. This is because, understandably, when the water is running, the bathroom is a slippery place and oftentimes there are not things around to help people maintain their grip. For a senior’s sake, purchase a grab rail for inside the shower and place a rubber mat on the floor outside of it. You might want to also get some flip-flops for them to wear while inside of the tub (if they’re standing) for some additional traction.

Proper footwear.

It would be a shame for someone to hire an ICBC lawyer due to an injury that could have been avoided simply by purchasing the right kinds of shoes. One of the best ways to ensure a senior’s safety is to not only make sure that their shoes fit well, but that they are also non-skid and without thick soles. The best ones are probably the lace-up kind, but definitely make sure to avoid purchasing a lot of slip-ons or heels. Also be sure to check the surfaces of them daily for signs of rocks, gum or mud that could have been accumulated throughout the day; that’s definitely another potential way to throw someone off balance.

Ensure your home is well lit in the day and night

Image via: The Enchanted Home.Blogspot

Be pet aware.

Basically, if it’s not a pet that’s in a cage, it has the potential to do some pretty unpredictable things. Cats tend to jump on various surfaces and even the best-trained dog can get excited and run from one room to another without notice. When a senior is moving throughout the home, it’s a good idea to either keep your pet in an area of the house where they are not or to let them play outdoors for a while. Once everyone is stationery for a period, then your pet can come in and hang out with everyone. Remember, a safe environment provides the opportunity for a fun one for all.

For more home safety tips on Stagetecture, click here.