6 Tips For Making Your San Diego Home Safe For An Elderly Relative

Bringing an elderly relative into your home is a heartwarming experience, but it can also be fraught. A household that’s safe for you might not necessarily be safe for somebody with mobility or balance issues. Fortunately, there are a few simple steps you can take to make your home that bit safer.

#1 Add A Stairlift

Stairs are a major cause of falls amongst the elderly, some of which can be extremely dangerous. A stairlift completely solves this problem. Stairlifts are mechanically fitted to the wall. The passenger simply sits in the chair, presses a button, and is then lifted up/down the stairs. It’s safe, easy, and often much cheaper to install than you imagine.

#2 Swap Hard Floors For Carpets

Hard floors are slippery and even more so when wet. Replacing them with carpets makes it much easier for an elderly person to move around the house safely. Carpets offer substantially more grip and, if the worst does happen, they present a much softer landing than hard floors. This is usually the first step that people take when moving a relative in.

#3 Remove Rugs

Rugs might seem like a good idea, but they create more problems than they solve. The edges of thick rugs can be trip hazards, but even small rugs will move around when stood on. This kind of unstable surface leads to trips and falls. Tasseled rugs present even more of a threat. Remove rugs where possible and stick with an even, carpeted floor.

#4 Install Grab Bars

Grab bars can be installed on everything from baths to toilets. They give an elderly person something to hold onto when they raise or lower themselves. This serves a practical mobility purpose by helping an elderly person support themselves, but they also prevent falls. Having something to grab onto helps someone with decreased mobility steady themselves, so these are essential household additions.

#5 Use a Medical Alert Alarm

Medical alarms are popular in care homes and popular across San Diego hospices like the LightBridge Hospice. They’re worn around the neck, and pressing the emergency button summons help. These are useful if you plan to be out a lot and the elderly relative will frequently be home alone. If the worst happens, help is only ever a button press away, which grants enormous peace of mind both to you and the wearer.

#6 Add Anti-slip Bathroom Coatings

Bathrooms are the place where most slips and falls occur. This stands to reason. Bathrooms often have tiled floors with minimal grip. Once these surfaces are wet, they become slick, making it difficult for anybody to balance. Bathrooms aren’t always the best place to put carpets, but anti-slip coatings can help. These usually come in the form of high grip mats that offer a lot of friction, making them easy to walk across. Coatings are a cheap solution to a dangerous problem, so they’re widely popular.