Ensure home life is safe as people age

Consider a lift chair when thinking about how to make a home for a senior more comfortable. iSTOCK/COX

Credit: Getty Images

Credit: Getty Images

Consider a lift chair when thinking about how to make a home for a senior more comfortable. iSTOCK/COX
IN YOUR PRIME
By Marie Kriedman – Contributing Writer
2 hours ago
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Many people want to age gracefully and thrive in every phase of life. For senior citizens, their treasured home needs to age with them and a quick review for home safety can avoid unwanted or frightening scenarios.

A search on the internet will yield surprisingly different results: What is really most important for ensuring your home can age with you?

Jenny Carlson is the state director of AARP Ohio and says comfort and safety is at the top.

“At AARP Ohio, we know from our latest survey that the vast majority of older Ohioans want and intend to live independently and remain in their homes and communities surrounded by family and friends,” Carlson said.

Each person’s home should feel comfortable and safe, and each person’s needs are different but there are general guidelines that can keep an individual in their home longer.

AARP also offers a Home Fit Guide to help people adapt their home to be age-friendly.

“It can provide more detail as to the kinds of designs and modifications that can make a home safer, more comfortable and a better ‘fit’ for its residents,” Carlson said.

The National Council on Aging’s website offers a comprehensive, printable checklist, and notes that 74 percent of adults 50 years and older live in single-family homes.

According to NCOA’s website, “some of the biggest home safety concerns older adults face include fires, falls, and medication use.”

Ensuring a safe home can help avoid costly medical expenses and maintain independence with a few simple steps.

Here are a few tips for home safety:

  • When moving from a sitting to standing position, do so slowly, to prevent dizziness
  • Wear rubber-soled shoes
  • Keep rooms free of clutter
  • Consider switching to rocker-style switches
  • User automatic timers on lamps if needed
  • Ensure doorways can accommodate a walker or wheelchair
  • Consider a lift chair
  • Evaluate whether a walk in shower or walk in tub are needed in the bathroom
  • Use a shower chair or bench or handheld nozzle
  • Place nonslip rugs in the kitchen and bathroom
  • Add railings for any indoor or outdoor stairs
  • Add a smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector to your home; change the batteries twice a year – around Thanksgiving and Memorial Day
  • Have your eyes and hearing checked yearly to address any changes
  • Use dusk to dawn lights for exterior illumination

For more information, visit aarp.org.

Contact this writer at writeawayk@gmail.com.

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About the Author

Marie Kriedman