One of the primary responsibilities of a caregiver is to make sure that the person in your care has a safe environment in which they can call home. A proper home safety inspection for the seniors will enable you to determine if you want to make any changes in your home or have to install home safety products. This is irrespective of the fact whether the elderly person in need of care lives with you or independently.
Take a look at the basic home safety list suggested by senior guidance which you can use as a caregiver for creating a safe living environment for the people you care for. However, before making any changes, you have to involve the person you care for with the planned improvements at their residence.
Consider Bathroom Safety
Even younger and coordinated adults might find the slippery surface of the bathroom a tricky territory. Some of the common bathroom safety enhancements for seniors are,
- Using a shower seat or installing a safety grab bar in the shower.
- Install a raised toilet seat for making it easier for the person you care for to stand up and sit down with the help of the toilet.
- Adding a grip pad in high in contrast to the color of your bathtub in the shower. This will help the adults to know where it is safe to step.
Kitchen Safety
When it comes to the kitchen safety, you have to pay proper attention. It is one of the last rooms in the house that you consider addressing. Nonetheless, various accidents might occur in the kitchen. Hence, it is necessary to check the list in order to make sure that you are taking enough precautions.
- The kitchen has to be equipped with a fire extinguisher which is less than ten years old. Moreover, it should be verified to work.
- All electrical cords and appliances should be kept away from the sink or places where there is water. Cords should also be kept away from the hot surfaces.
- Keep a strong step-stool with a handrail for reaching up onto the shelves or high cabinets.
- The area stove needs to be clean and free of clutter.
- Exhaust and ventilation in the kitchen are paramount.
Organize and Rearrange Common Furniture and Items
How often do you go rooting for something, find it, and then think if you can look for a better place to keep it. A good way to enhance safety in the home for seniors is to everything properly so that the things that are used often in convenient places to reach out without needing much bending or a step stool.
- Reorganize the cabinets to keep the mostly used items within their reach.
- Adjust the furniture heights to make it easier for the senior people to use and access it, particularly if the person you care for has a problem sitting down and standing up.
Consider Fire Safety
As a caregiver, you cannot become complacent regarding the proper functioning of the home safety devices and the equipment that is present at home. You should also check for typical household items which might be harmful to an elderly person in your care. Take a look at these major fire safety checks you can make you ensure the safety of the seniors in your care.
- Ensure that the smoke detectors are installed properly and are working.
- Buy a fire extinguisher and place it in the visible area of the kitchen.
- Remove small electrical appliances like the razors and the hair dryers from the bathroom.
Step Safely for Reducing Risk of Falls
Fall is a common but serious safety issue for seniors, particularly for the elderly people who are taken care of at their own home. There are some simple steps you can take to make your home safer.
- Install strong banisters on each side of the stairs.
- Use robust and non-slip rugs without tears and rips. If you can remove small area rugs wherever you can.
- Install bright lights in the bathrooms and hallways.
- Salt walkways and driveways in the winter.
- Clear the walkways of any type of extension cords or tripping hazards.
Stay Connected
You need to keep a telephone nearby and make sure that they have the emergency phone numbers. This way they will be able to communicate with the emergency personnel in case they get trapped in the room by smoke or fire.
Keep it Low
In case your parents do not live in an apartment building, they should consider sleeping in a room that is on the ground floor. This way in case of emergency, they will be able to make escape easier. You need to ensure that the smoke alarms that have carbon monoxide detectors are installed in every room and outside the sleeping areas. Keep a telephone in the sleeping room. When you look for an apartment or home for the elderly people, you need to look for one that has an automatic sprinkler.
Open Up
It is necessary to ensure that all door and windows in the home open properly. Home safety assessment for the seniors is necessary to conduct on a regular basis for reducing the risk of injury. Pins and locks should open up easily from the inside. In case there are security bars on the windows and doors, it needs to have emergency release devices inside for opening it up easily. These devices are not going to compromise your safety but they will be able to open the window from inside in case of an emergency. Check to make sure that the window isn’t nailed shut or sealed shut with paint. If it has been, you need to arrange for someone who will break the seals all around the home and remove the nails.
Home safety for seniors is something that you need to consider pretty seriously. As people age, they become more vulnerable to injuries within the home. Accidents can take place within the confines of the residency. Hence, a home safety checklist for seniors is highly recommended.
