If your mom wants to continue living at home as she gets old you may need to make some changes in the house for her safety. Making it easier for your mom to get around and making sure there are no obstructions in her path can lower the risk that she might fall.
Home care is something you should think about getting for your mom too. A home care provider can make sure your mom is safe at home every day, even when you can’t get there. And a home care provider can help your mom with everything from housework to running errands.
If you want to make your mom’s home more accessible for her as she gets older consider making some of these modifications:
Install Grab Bars
Grab bars and handrails are not difficult to install, and they can make a world of difference for your mom’s safety. Place grab bars in key areas like the bathroom (near the toilet and in the shower or bathtub) to provide support and prevent falls.
You can also install support bars in the hallways, near the stairs, or near her favorite chair in the living room so that she will be able to get up easily on her own.
Add Non-Slip Mats
Use non-slip mats or adhesive strips in the bathroom and kitchen to reduce the risk of slipping on wet or smooth floors. This is especially important in areas prone to spills like the kitchen or near the bathroom sink.
Non-slip mats now come in a lot of decorative colors and patterns. They can function like rugs in the home adding color and style, but non-slip mats have a sturdy non-slip rubber backing that makes them safe for seniors.
You may want to replace area rugs in your mom’s home with non-slip pads so that there’s no risk of her slipping and falling on an area rug.
Improve Lighting
Increase visibility by adding bright, energy-efficient LED bulbs in hallways, stairways, and other high-traffic areas. Brighter lighting is important, but so is lighting that is easier to access. If your mom has to walk down a dark hallway to find the light switch or walk into a dark bathroom and then fumble for the light switch she could fall in the dark.
Motion-activated lights are a great option for lighting in hallways, in the bathroom, and in the kitchen so that the lights will automatically go on when your mom walks by the light.
Install Lever-Style Door Handles
Replace traditional round door knobs with lever-style handles, which are easier to operate for seniors with limited hand strength or dexterity. It’s also much harder for your mom to lock herself in a room accidentally with a lever-style doorknob.
You can also add smart doorknobs to outside doors that have keycodes or fingerprint access entry. Those doors make it easier for your mom to get into the house because she won’t have to try and grip a key or turn the key in the lock. You can also assign a different key code to anyone who needs access to the house. That makes it very convenient for a home care provider to visit.
Use Raised Toilet Seats
Add a raised toilet seat or a toilet safety frame to make sitting down and standing up easier. This can help reduce strain and lower the risk that your mom will fall. Every year seniors at home fall when trying to lower themselves down onto a toilet or raise themselves up, sometimes falling and getting stuck between the toilet and the wall. A raised toilet seat can prevent that.
If you or an aging loved one is considering Home Care in Pittsburg, KS, please contact the caring staff at Adelmo Family Care today at (417) 206-4576
Adelmo Family Care provides exceptional home and facility care for seniors, disabled adults, and their families in Joplin, Webb City, Carthage, Duquesne, Neosho, Carl Junction, Lamar, Newton County, MO, Jasper County, MO, Pittsburg, KS, Riverton, KS, Crawford County, KS, Cherokee County, KS, and surrounding areas.
To provide the safest and most qualified caregivers, John felt it was important to properly screen and train caregivers before they were invited into the homes of the families being care for.No caregiver is introduced to a client before being taught the Adelmo Standard.
Adelmo is German for Noble Protector, a name that projects what Adelmo Family Care strives to be. It is our goal to protect our elderly from having to move somewhere they do not want to go, while remaining safe, secure and independent.
Care is our Product and Independence is our Goal.We are there for you when you need to have some help to continue to live independently, at your direction, in your home. We will work with you to get you as fit as possible so you may become completely independent once again, if at all possible.
We provide compassionate care, a watchful eye and a helping hand to our clients and their families.
We can't wait to meet you!
Adelmo Family Care is a member of the Home Care Association of America, The Senior’s Choice, The Webb City Chamber of Commerce, The Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce and several local senior committees.
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