How to Make a Home Safe for the Elderly

As your grandparents and parents get older, you’ll need to take good care of them and keep them safe inside their home. The elderly can’t get around like they used to, and they need some help around the house.

When you’re not with them, you want to know that they are as safe as they possibly can be. So here are some products and safety precautions you can implement into their home.

This will help them do daily activities a little easier, and they will get around a lot better.

Not only can you help them, but you can use this to learn more about house design for when you get older, making life easier on you too!

Kitchen

A kitchen can be dangerous if not set up the proper way for the elderly. So take these little tricks and tips into your loved ones’ home to ensure ease and safety.

Design the cabinets at different levels. If someone needs to prepare food sitting, a lower countertop is perfect.
Make sure the cabinet handles are easy to grab.
Check to see if the oven and refrigerator doors open easily.
Make sure the faucets aren’t hard to turn on.
Put the hot water heater to 120 degrees instead of 140 degrees to lessen burns from the faucet water.

Bathrooms

A bathroom can also be a hard room to get yourself around if you don’t have the right equipment and design. So here are some things to put into a bathroom for a senior.

Replace any stationary shower heads with a hand-held shower head. This will help with being able to shower sitting down.
Make sure there is a shower seat in the shower. Just like I said above, its most likely they will need to sit down while taking a shower to make themselves comfortable.
Grab bars should be places everywhere they are needed. They might need grab bars to get around or need to grab onto something in case they are falling. This will give them the support they are looking for.
If they have a tub, either replace it with a walk-in shower or get a tub with a door on it for them to easily enter the shower.

Around the Whole House

Some things should be implemented into the entire house to keep them safe and sound.

Bright lighting is extremely important for seniors to be able to see where they are going and what they are doing.
Make sure doors and entry ways are big enough for a motorized scooter, walker, or wheel chair can get through.
Window should be easy to open.
Make sure there is no ripples, cracks, bumps, or anything of that sort in the floors. Checking this will prevent falls.

Safety First

Here are some essential things to check for in a senior’s house. Making these changes will improve their everyday life. For an even more extensive checklist, click here! Invest your time into learning how to keep the elderly safe in their own home!