Safety Is Key to Remaining in Your Home Longer

There are many reasons why seniors move from their home into a senior living community; sometimes it’s by choice and other times it is required for the person’s wellbeing. Most of us want to continue to live in our homes if possible. One of the most common factors of why seniors move into senior living communities is because of safety reasons, especially if a fall was involved. Falls are very common in the elderly as the body loses muscle mass, balance/gait, along with side effects from medications and/or safety measures not put in place in the home.

There are resources and services in the community that can assist seniors to stay in their homes safely if possible.

Here is a brief list of ways to remain safely in your home:

  1. You can always request from your physician to write an order for a home evaluation done by occupational therapy.
    • The therapy company would come into your home and assess the interior and exterior of your house for potential fall hazards.
    • A fall hazard could be steps into the home of where you may need a ramp, rugs that are not secure, shower/bathroom assist handles/rails as well as a shower chair, toilet riser seat, etc.
  2. Fire hazards are common especially with seniors that smoke, smoke while on oxygen and/or cooking accidents.
    • Examples: leaving a stove burner on, item left on a hot stove burner, electrical fire, while smoking dropping the cigarette on self and/or in home, smoke detectors not working properly, unsupervised lit candles, fireplace not having a safeguard
  3. If you’re taking more than 4 prescribed medications, it would be best to schedule an appointment with your physician to review your med list and make sure they will not affect your cognition and balance.
  4. Specific potential causes: loose rugs, shower floor or any bare floor getting wet, not wearing rubber sole or non-slip footwear, having to bend over or reach high for items, not using your assistive device correctly (walker or cane), bed level is too high or too low, not having your nightstand closer to your bed, stairs, the toilet is too low and requires a toilet seat riser.

Sometimes things are inevitable and out of our control where we must move into a senior living community; however, there are practical ways, like the list above to prolong that decision.