Aging in Place: Home Safety Tips for Seniors

Since home is where the heart is, it is naturally where most older adults choose to age in place. Maintaining independence can be a huge part of aging well. But home is also where most falls or other mishaps by seniors occur. No one likes thinking of their personal sanctuary as filled with potential hazards. But our very creature comforts and habits can work against us as we age if we’re not mindful.

Home Modifications Help Ensure Safety

Physical mobility, balance, vision, or cognition issues can make things an older adult used to do easily quite risky without some modifications to their living environment. Even routine tasks like getting up from the bed, a sofa, or chair; using the shower, tub, or toilet; taking the stairs; or reaching high or low can pose problems due to physical limitations from conditions like arthritis, osteoporosis, diabetes, or fibromyalgia or due to side effects from medications. As activities once taken for granted grow more challenging, a home often needs modifications to adapt to a senior’s limitations. This is important to reduce the risk of falls. Clutter, poor lighting, and slippery or uneven surfaces are some of the tripping hazards present in most homes, absent intentional changes to make them safer.

Adapting the ground level of the home for single-level living may make sense for seniors who have difficulty taking the stairs or who use a wheelchair. If a wheelchair is involved, modifications may need to include widening doorways, installing a ramp, and lowering electrical switches.

To achieve the most functional home environment, a senior should note any new or progressive problems with navigating living spaces. If balance or mobility issues arise, a physician or geriatrician may recommend physical or occupational therapy for the senior. These exercises can help make them steadier on their feet and more adept at walking, reaching, and bending.

Assess Home Safety and Plan

If you are an older adult, experts advise working with a family member to assess your home safety room by room, along with well-used areas outside, identifying problems that need addressing. Prioritize needed fixes, starting with those that can be handled immediately or pose the greatest dangers. You and your health care team should discuss any indicated changes and how they may affect your lifestyle and daily routine. In-home assistance may be recommended. A home care agency such as Right at Home can conduct a needs assessment.

Here are some general things to consider when assessing your home environment:

• Throw rugs provide nice texture and color contrasts but also pose a tripping hazard. Secure them in place with tape or nonslip backing, or consider eliminating them. Upturned or curled carpet edges pose another stumbling danger. Mend, tack, or tape down, or replace with new carpet.
• Electrical cords laying loose on the floor, especially in highly trafficked areas, are an invitation to a fall. Secure cords with rubber bands or ties to more easily and efficiently get them out of the way of walking paths.
• Navigating your home should not feel like an obstacle course. Pathways from room to room should be clear of any unnecessary interference and provide straight-line accessibility.

Lighting Enhancements To Consider

Inadequate lighting is a common problem in many older homes that have not been updated. Here are lighting enhancements to consider:

• Think about installing more overhead lights, floor lamps, and night-lights to illuminate bedrooms, bathrooms, the kitchen, hallways, and stairways. Automatic sensor night-lights are a handy choice.
• Consider replacing toggle light switches with rocker panel switches. Use glow-in-the-dark light switches.
• Brighter bulbs may do the trick in some cases.
• Ensure bright lights illuminate outdoor walking paths, stairs, porches, patios, and garages. Having the bottom and top of stairs well lit is especially important. When the stairs are obscured by darkness or shadows, judging them is harder, and the risk of a misstep is greater.
• Consider keeping a flashlight on a nightstand that you can easily grab and carry to help safely navigate middle-of-the-night trips to the bathroom or kitchen.

Clutter and Hoarding Can Cause Falls

Clutter can be a major problem in many homes because people often get attached to more possessions than they have space for. When objects that should be put away end up on floors and stairs, they become obstacles, making safely moving around a home challenging. Overstuffing shelves, cabinets, and closets poses the risk of things falling or spilling out. If there is an issue with too much clutter in your home, seriously consider downsizing and decluttering by throwing or giving away items that are just in the way.

Generally, you don’t want to reach high overhead or bend down low to retrieve something. If possible, keep pots, pans, plates, cups, glasses, utensils, canned foods, paper towels, toilet paper, and cleaning products between waist and shoulder height.

Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Quick action is critical in a fire, which is why every room in your home should have a working smoke alarm. A fire extinguisher can be a good resource, but only if you know how to use it. Carbon monoxide is an odorless killer; therefore, the only way to be warned of a leak is with a detector. Test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors periodically and replace batteries or units as needed.

Handrails, Grab Bars, and Nonskid Mats

Pride needs to take a backseat to safety when it comes to navigating stairs and using the bathroom. If stairs have no handrails or they are loose, getting them installed or replaced is key, especially if you have balance, mobility, or vision issues because you need the support to move safely up and down.

Getting in and out of the shower or bathtub can be a real chore for some older adults without safety equipment or a home health aide standing by. Installing grab bars may suffice. Another option is to use a nonskid chair in the shower or tub. Don’t forget a nonskid mat on the shower/tub floor and a nonslip surface to stand on while drying off or grooming at the sink.

A low-height toilet can be difficult to use if you have flexibility issues or weak core body strength. Consider replacing a low stool with an elevated one.

Outdoor steps, walks, and drives that are uneven or in otherwise ill repair need to be amended to ensure safety. If a DIY project is not an option, hire a contractor to do the work. A ramp with handrails that leads to and out the front door may be the best solution for some seniors.

Here are a few other home safety recommendations:

• If you struggle with stiff, aching hands and wrists, consider replacing doorknobs with handles.
• Add firm foam pads to chair and sofa seats to aid in getting up from seated positions.
• Consider using a walker or cane for added stability.

How Right at Home Can Help

Right at Home provides a wide range of in-home care services, from companionship and light housekeeping to assistance with hygiene, dressing, and ambulation. Our caregivers can give a steady hand to older adults who are at risk of a fall. To find out more, use our office locator to find the nearest office and ask for a FREE in-home consultation.

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