Keeping a Loved One Safe in the Golden Years

Hello World! Welcome Friends! Welcome Jessica Kane to the blog tonight! What was once a completely safe environment can become hazardous as a person ages in his or home. There are some important steps that need to be taken to safely outfit a home for a person in the Golden Years of his or her life, as his or her health begins to decline.

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Retrofit the Bathroom

Every year, an alarming number of seniors are injured in bathrooms. Sadly, some accidents that occur in bathrooms prove fatal. There are some vital steps that need to be taken to retrofit a bathroom to meet the needs of a senior.

Perhaps the most basic step that needs to be taken in regard to the bathroom is the installation of grab bars and rails. These should be installed in the shower, around the bathtub, and next to the toilet. Adding grab bars and rails is a major and necessary step to better ensuring the safety of a senior in the bathroom. These devices make the major elements of a bathroom far more accessible and easier to use by a senior as well.

Raising the height of the toilet is another step to take to make a bathroom safer and more accessible for a senior. This can be accomplished in one of two ways. First, you can raise the height of a toilet by adding a thick seat. Second, you can replace an existing toilet with what commonly is known as a “comfort height” toilet. This is a toilet that comes raised. The installation of a comfort toilet can be a do it yourself project or done with the assistance of a qualified plumber.

Replace twist faucets with lever ones. The fact is as many people grow older, twisting faucets (and other things) becomes a challenging task.

There exist other types of faucet options as well. For example, there are even foot operated derivations available on the market today.

Another step to take in retrofitting a bathroom for an senior is the installation of a curb-less shower or a walk-in bathtub. Both these types of solutions are becoming more widely utilized in this day and age. You can consult with a plumber to ascertain what options might work best.

Consider adding a handheld sprayer attachment to the shower head. This makes bathing easier for a senior with health issues. A person need not stand when showering when this type of attachment is added.

Retrofit the Kitchen

The kitchen is another prime area in a house that needs consideration when it comes to enhancing safety and access for a senior. A starting point is taking a look at handles on cabinets. If cabinets have knobs, consider replacing them with non-slippery handles that will be easier to use.

The level of a standard dishwasher can prove problematic for some seniors. A good many seniors have issues with bending. A relatively simply fix is remodeling the kitchen a bit to allow for the dishwasher to be raised somewhat. You do not want to overdo in this regard. Thinking ahead, the day may come when a senior ends up in a wheelchair. You want to make sure the dishwasher remains accessible.

Install an automatic turnoff feature on all appliances in the kitchen. This includes the oven and the stove. Indeed, automatic turnoff features are not limited to appliances. They are also available for sink faucets.

The height of countertops also needs to be considered when reworking a kitchen for the benefit of an older individual with special needs. For example, countertops definitely need to be lowered for optimal safety and accessibility if a person is in a wheelchair. Consider demarcating countertops with a different color around the perimeter so that a senior can readily see the edge.

Install bright lights throughout the kitchen. This assists a senior in navigating the kitchen and in preparing meals. Indeed, bright kitchen lights benefit everyone.

Reconsider the kitchen flooring. If the kitchen has a tile floor, or even a marble one, consider replacing it for the safety of a senior. Of course, tile or marble are lovely. However, there are attractive non-skid options that enhance a senior’s safety.

General Ideas for the House Overall

There are some other things to bear in mind when it comes to making a residence safer and more accessible for a senior. A key one is widening doorways. The fact is that in time a senior may need to use a walker or wheelchair, if he or she is not already doing so. Maneuvering through a residence with standard doors and doorways can prove highly challenging, if not impossible.

You definitely want to take an inventory of the flooring throughout the residence. Eliminate things like throw rugs that are easily tripped over. As with the kitchen, replace potentially slick flooring with non-skid options to optimize safety throughout the residence.

Jessica Kane is a professional blogger who writes for Scaffold Store, the favorite and trusted scaffold supplier of the largest contractors.

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