When seniors need personal care at home services, it’s a good time to look at what else needs to change in order to create a safe and comfortable environment for them. These tips help family caregivers to focus on the important details they need to have as their loved one is aging in place.
Home Modifications and Personal Care at Home Help
Modifying the senior’s home is one of the biggest ways to improve safety at home, especially when having help with personal care at home. The modifications required might vary quite a bit, depending on the health issues the senior has. Some of the most common home modifications might include:
- Installing Grab Bars – Grab bars help seniors maintain balance and avoid falls. They’re especially helpful in the bathroom and other rooms the senior might be vulnerable in.
- Swapping Doorknobs – Doorknobs can be more difficult than they appear. Swapping knobs for lever handles makes them easier to operate.
- Installing Ramps – Seniors with mobility issues might not be able to maneuver safely on stairs, even if there are only a couple of them. Ramps remove that issue.
- Removing Tripping Hazards – Tripping hazards are anything that a senior might run into or trip over. Removing them helps to very quickly improve safety.
- Moving Furniture – Sometimes furniture has been in the same place for a long time but no longer meets the needs of the senior who lives there. Rearranging furniture can free up space and make mobility easier.
Assistive Technology
Assistive devices and technology can make a huge difference in safety for a senior, especially one having trouble with mobility and personal care tasks. Some of the technology that might help improve senior safety includes:
- Medical Alert Systems – These are typically wearable devices that allow seniors to call for help quickly and easily. Some also use fall detection technology.
- Automated Pill Dispensers – These electronic devices can help seniors to avoid questioning whether they’ve taken their medications or not. They can also help to remove the guesswork for family caregivers.
- Voice-Activated Devices – Voice-activated devices like Alexa or Google Home allow seniors to control lots of different features from anywhere in the home with just their voice. These are great for seniors who have mobility issues or are recovering from an illness.
- Personal Care at Home – This isn’t exactly technology, but having home care providers there with a senior allows family caregivers to keep up with what is going on and continue to ensure their family member has the help they need.
Additional Tips
There are other ways to help seniors to be safe at home. Hiring personal care at home is one of the most important safety tools. These caregivers offer all sorts of assistance with tasks like bathing, grooming, toileting, and even eating. Some of the other ways that family caregivers can keep their seniors safe include:
- Keeping the Home Properly Lit – Proper lighting is immensely important for senior safety. Adding lighting fixtures or using brighter lightbulbs in existing fixtures can do the trick.
- Keeping the Home Comfortable – Sometimes seniors have a difficult time regulating their body temperature. Keeping the home at a comfortable temperature with features like automatic thermostat controls can be helpful.
- Ensuring Emergency Numbers Are Accessible – Finding emergency numbers in an emergency isn’t always the easiest thing to do. Make sure they’re readily accessible, especially when something has gone wrong.
- Encouraging Physical Activity – If seniors are able to move more and their doctors recommend physical activity, it helps a lot to gradually increase movement.
Ensuring that seniors are safe and comfortable at home is important. When they need extra help, personal care at home can do a lot to help reduce falls and ensure that daily tasks are easier to manage. Making small changes as needed helps family caregivers to stay on top of what needs to be done.