One of the most important aspects of ensuring the comfort and good health of senior citizens is to ensure that the home is safe and comfortable. After all, this prevents injuries, ensures comfortable sleep and helps seniors live longer. We have listed some of the ways in which you can create a safe home. Safe and comfortable home for senior citizens. So, keep reading and you will understand how to make your home better for your elderly parents.
Tips to Create a Safe and Comfortable Home Environment for Senior Citizens
Removing clutter
Make sure that the walkway is always clear and that the elderly at home does not face any difficulty in moving around. This is a big step in preventing injuries and ensuring that the elderly in your home can move easily and independently. This will also depend on whether the elderly is moving independently, with the help of support or with the help of a wheelchair.
well lit space
As we age, the eyes require more light to see things. This is irrespective of whether the vision is fine or not. Hence, it is important to ensure that your home is well-lit so that seniors can move around the house confidently. It should be a mix of natural light and white and yellow light as per the preference of your family members. And, if your home does not receive enough sunlight, you can try installing light-coloured or transparent curtains to make the most of natural light for seniors during the day.
Apart from making every basic change for seniors in your home, it is also important to get their health checkups done from time to time. And, taking help from a team of experts is usually a better option than trying to handle everything on your own. With Samarth, elderly care With the aid organization, you can get doctor’s assistance, emergency help for senior citizens, and timely checkups without leaving your home. Senior Care From the available packages, you can easily choose the one that matches your needs and ensure that your parents or other senior relative gets the best care. Learn more here,
movement aids
At times, it is practically impossible to have a 24×7 attendant to take care of the seniors in your family. Also, the need for assistance when movement is limited can lead to dependency which may not be curable in the long run. To ensure that your elderly are independent and confident in their personal space, you can get handrails installed near the bed, near your elderly’s favourite chair or along the stairs in your home. Also, if your home has multiple floors and help is not available for this difficult movement, you can opt for a stair lift. Find out more here.
wheelchair accessibility
To ensure that you are prepared for emergency situations, it is always advisable to keep a folding wheelchair in or around your home. Though it is not required for everyday commuting, if you are taking your elderly for medical checkups when they are not in their best health, a wheelchair is a convenient option. Not every home may have it, but it should be accessible in your neighbourhood or apartment to ensure convenience on bad days.
bathroom safety
Bathroom safety is one of the most important aspects of ensuring a safe space for your elderly. Non-slippery flooring, floor mats that do not become a hindrance while walking and more are other important aspects that you should consider. Also, if the bathroom entrance is at a higher level than your regular floor level, you should place a handle along with the door so that seniors can get extra support while entering the bathroom. Having handrails along the bathing area or near the commode seat can serve as an added comfort that will make your home a comfortable place for seniors.
Changes in bedding
You understand the importance of a good night’s sleep every night. And, this is even more important for the elderly as their immune system is not very strong. In cases where movement is limited, you can opt for an air bed or a water bed to ensure that the patient does not suffer from bed sores due to little or no movement. There may also be cases when your senior family member needs assistance in getting up from the bed. Therefore, you can replace a regular bed with an adjustable bed that can be raised from the upper half to make it easier for the person to get up.
Ventilation
Sitting in a room with good ventilation or living in a properly ventilated home is important for health. This is even more important for senior citizens who have limited movements and who are taking medications for their overall health. Make sure your home has proper ventilation and windows are opened regularly for fresh air flow. This will not only help in boosting the immunity of senior citizens but will also work to improve mood.
cleanliness
Maintaining the level of hygiene in your home is another important step to ensure that the indoor environment remains safe and comfortable. This is not only important from a health point of view but is also essential to prevent injuries by allowing the smooth movement of seniors in and out of the home. The hygiene aspect becomes even more important when the movement of seniors is restricted to avoid bed sores due to staying in bed all day.
Social and recreational activities
Everyone needs companionship to stay mentally happy and active. The same applies to senior citizens who do not have many friends and do not go out regularly. They need the company of people of their age group and this can only be done if you make them a part of social and recreational activities in your area. This will give them something new to do for a few days and ensure that their mind is refreshed every few days. Although starting a new routine can be difficult initially, once you get the momentum, it can also be a good form of exercise for senior citizens as they will be getting out and moving regularly.
Technical Support
There are a lot of gadgets available for seniors these days. These include smartwatches with continuous monitoring of health metrics to keep a health check and send alerts in case of an emergency. Also, assistive devices like motorized wheelchairs, hearing aids, BP monitors, glucometers, oximeters, thermometers, e-readers, home monitoring devices and others should be used as per the need. You can also install a smart camera in your home so that you can easily communicate with your elders when you are not at home. Learn more here,
Change of furniture
When you have elderly people in your home, it is important to arrange the necessary furniture to ensure that every family member feels comfortable. Avoid placing furniture with sharp corners or protect the corners to avoid injury. You may also have to replace the bed or mattress in case of special needs to ensure the safety and comfort of seniors. It is important for seniors to have a comfortable or favorite place in their home mentally and physically. Choose special chairs or recliners where the elderly can sit peacefully to relax or drink a cup of tea every day.
Makeover in the kitchen
When you are considering making changes to your entire home for seniors, you cannot forget the kitchen. After all, food is very important and if something is overlooked or not managed properly in the kitchen, it can be a danger zone. For seniors, it is important that the kitchen floor is level and non-slippery. Lighting should be adequate and the cabinets should be 3 inches lower in height than the normal shelves. Avoid keeping too many things on the lower shelves, which may require seniors to bend down at times. For safety reasons, you can consider installing fire alarms and fire extinguishers in the kitchen to minimize damage in case of accidents.
fall prevention tips
Falling and getting injured is one of the biggest problems of senior citizens. This can make things difficult for you as a caregiver or a child. To avoid this, make sure that senior citizens are getting proper sleep every night and visiting the doctor for regular medical checkups. Also, it is important to get regular checkups of hearing and vision. Practice that senior citizens stand and sit slowly instead of standing and sitting immediately. This ensures smooth movement of the limbs which is in line with the blood circulation in the body at that age. The flooring of your entire house should not be slippery and any accidental spillage of water or liquids should be wiped immediately.
Medicine
It is important to ensure that all essential medicines are always at home. At any given time, you should have at least 15 days of stock of regular medicines at home. This will ensure that the medicine supply never runs low, even if the shop is closed, a particular medicine is not immediately available or you are traveling and cannot get the medicines on time. Also, use tools like medicine organizers and pill cutters to make life easier for the elderly and prevent health problems caused by forgetting a medicine or taking the wrong medicine. Read more information here,
Emotional Well-being
The safety and comfort of an elderly person at home also depends on how happy and healthy the person is emotionally. Spend time with them, talk to them and keep them happy and you will see a positive change in their lifestyle and overall health. Yes, there can be difficult times and disagreements but it is possible to reach a conclusion if you are handling the situations patiently with your elderly parents or relatives at home.
emergency plan
While no one wants to be in an emergency situation, it is always advisable to plan for emergencies. This becomes very important when you have senior citizens at home as any health emergency can occur at any time. Get a check-up done by a doctor and get some emergency medicines prescribed which should be kept in your home. Also, keep emergency contact numbers on alert via a smartwatch or write them down at a convenient place at home. So, even if you are not at home and someone else is handling the situation, emergency contacts can be notified at the right time.
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