Helping Your Elderly Parent Make Their Home Safer
When your parent starts to get into their older years, you might not think a nursing home is an appropriate place for them. They might seem comfortable in their own home and well enough to remain there, but in order to ease your mind and keep them safe, they may have to make some changes in the house. Here are some ways you can help your mom or dad to make their home a safer one.
Remove Area Rugs
You might not know this, but many people who are over the age of 65 fall every year. In fact, as many as one-fourth of them do. That's why it's imperative that you do everything you can to help your parent remove things in their home that could put them at risk for falling. One easy thing you can do to help them is to remove any area rugs they have in the home. It can be easy to slip and fall on a rug that is not secured to the floor, so take up all the rugs in the house and put them into storage.
Install a Walk-in Tub
The bathroom can be dangerous for all members of your family, but even more so for a parent who is getting older. Slipping on wet surfaces can cause a number of injuries. One way to lower the risk of any problems is to have a walk-in tub put in.
A walk-in tub is a great idea for a number of reasons. For one thing, your parent won't have to lift both legs high to enter or leave the tub, which means they are less likely to trip or slip. Another reason a walk-in tub can helpful is that your parent might not always be as mobile as they are now. If they should ever require a wheelchair or another assisting device, getting into a walk-in tub can be much easier than a traditional bathtub.
Install Grab Bars
Grab bars near the toilet can be another safety measure you can install for our parent. Balance problems might ensue as your parent ages, and it can be hard to lower themselves onto the seat and rise up again. The grab bars will make that process easier.
Use all these suggestions to help your parent to be safer in their own home and manage their own care. If you think your parent could use more assistance and guidance, contact a home health care agency like Medical House Calls With Compassion so they can send out a nurse to make house calls on your parent throughout the week.