According to National Institute on Aging, six out of ten falls happen at home, where we tend to spend much of our time moving around without thinking about safety. There are some easy changes that you can make to your home to avoid falls and ensure safety.
Here are the top 4 ways you can ensure safety in your own home:
Eliminate Clutter: Make sure the floors and walkways clear of all rugs, papers, shoes, and chords.
Install Handrails and Grab Bars: You can tightly fasten an extra handrail is along steps to hold while going up and down them. Other crucial grab bars can be placed near the toilet (for assistant getting off and on the toilet) and the shower (to help with stepping in and out of the bathtub)
Extra Lighting: Be sure to put lights and light switches close to the bed. Night lights are also great alternatives for when older adults roam the house at night to use the bathroom or go to the kitchen.
Keep it in Reach: Keeping items used often in reach to help avoid stretching too far, losing balance, and falling. Some of these items could be the phone, the TV remote, a drink, or word-searches/puzzles. To avoid falling from reaching, ‘reach sticks’ can be purchased at medical-supply stores or hardware stores.
As an older adult, if you have experienced or think you will experience falls in the future, please contact a medical alert company. These companies specialize in keeping seniors independent while making sure help is available when needed. Here is link to a list of the top 8 Medical Alert Systems: The Best Medical Alert Systems of 2020.
If you or a loved one needs some extra assistance while still living in the comfort of home, please check out our Home Support services: https://www.ctkmanor.org/home-support
Thank you for reading this week’s blog post! Come back next week for more aging insights.
Author: Dominique Martino, M.A.
Title: Director of Marketing and Communications
Work Cited:
Myers, W. (2015, February 27). 9 Ways to Prevent Falling at Home. In Earth Day Health. Retrieved from https://www.everydayhealth.com/longevity/future-planning/prevent-falls-at-home.aspx
National Institute on Aging. (2017, May 15). Fall-Proofing Your Home. In National Institute on Aging. Retrieved from https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/fall-proofing-your-home
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