Your dad’s getting older and he’s still mobile, but you’ve noticed that he’s slowing down and less flexible than he used to be. He wants to age in place, but you realize that his home needs to be accessible to ensure he’s safe. What steps should you take and how can home care help?
Clear Clutter From Walkways
Go through your dad’s home and explore the routes he would logically take to get from one area to the next. If he’s going from his bed to the bathroom, what path is he going to walk? What’s in the way?
Do the same from his kitchen to his favorite chair and his favorite chair to the kitchen. If he has to answer the door or go outside to get the mail, where would he walk? Go through each of these routes and look for items that might trip your dad. See if he’d kick anything as he walked. Address those hazards and make sure wires are out of the way.
Enhance Lighting Inside and Outside the Home
Some rooms may be more well-lit than others. Make sure your dad’s home has bright lighting inside and outside the home. Check the lightning on his front and back steps, patios, decks, and garage, if he has one.
Inside the home, he might have darker hallways, staircases, and corners in some rooms. Add a lamp if needed to illuminate a corner. Add LED fixtures for brighter lighting in hallways, entryways, and kitchens.
Make Sure Bathroom Floors Aren’t Too Slick
One of the riskiest areas in a home is the bathroom. The harder surfaces like counters, toilets, and tile flooring increase the risk of injuries in a fall. And, wet floors are hazardous. Inside the tub or shower, soap added to the water makes floors extra slick.
Non-slip bath mats help lower the risk of a fall. If your dad’s flooring is older, you might want to look into non-slip vinyl plank flooring that’s waterproof and textured. It is less slick than tile or linoleum.
Add Grab Bars for Bathroom Safety
After checking the flooring, whether you can upgrade or not, grab bars inside and outside of the bathtub or shower area are helpful when it comes to fall prevention. Grab bars also need to be installed near the toilet.
Grab bars have to be secured to the studs in the wall and not just the sheetrock. They need to be designed to hold your dad’s weight and force that would happen in a fall.
Arrange Home Care Services When Needed
Pair improvements in your dad’s home with the help of home care aides. Some of the most challenging daily routines can be handled by a caregiver. Your dad won’t have to carefully get up and down his stairs to the laundry room while trying to balance the hamper. Home care aides can take care of it.
If you are considering home care in The Heights, TX for an aging loved one, please call the caring staff at At Your Side Home Care. We will answer all of your senior care questions. Call today: (832) 271-1600.
At Your Side Home Care, provides exceptional home care for seniors and families in Houston, West Houston, Katy, Memorial, The Heights, Spring Valley, Garden Oaks, Hunters Creek, River Oaks, Hilshire Village, Galleria, Cinco Ranch, Spring Branch, Sugar Land, Missouri City, Richmond, Rosenburg, Piney Point, Bay City and surrounding areas.
Our Certified Nurse Aides, 24-Hour Live-in Assistants and Home Health Aides are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We also provide the security and confidence of 24-hour Telephone Assistance, so fast, reliable help is always available when it's needed. To learn more about our homecare services see our homecare services page.
Different people need different levels of homecare. To meet the requirements of our clients, At Your Side Homecare maintains consistent staffing levels of caring professionals. Homecare service is available for as little as a few hours a week, or as many as 24 hours a day, seven days a week
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