You have decided to let your parents move in with you. It’s time you took care of them now that they are in their senior years. Your dad forgets things all the time. Your mom walks as slow as a turtle. You don’t want an assisted-living facility for them. You worry about in-house caregiving. The decision has been made. The only thing left to do is make your home safe for seniors like them to make sure that your parents feel comfortable.
Install an Elevator or a Stair Lift
You can install a home elevator from Salt Lake City, Utah. You can also choose to have a stair lift that will take your parents up to your house’s second floor. Although ideally, they should be staying only on the first floor (and that’s where their rooms should be), why not give them mobility? Let them explore your house on their own. A lift or elevator will help them feel more in control.
Upgrade and Update Your Flooring
Many home accidents involve falling or slipping on the bathroom’s wet tiles. Make sure to address that by adding non-slip shower mats throughout the bathroom that your parents will share. Grill a shower bar near the toilet so that they can hoist themselves up. You can also buy a shower chair so that your parents don’t need to stand and bend while taking a shower. Glass doors can be problematic if they have eyesight issues. Put stickers and decals on the doors so that they can see the glass clearly.
In your living room and kitchen, consider upgrading from tiles to wood and carpet flooring. Tiles are slippery, especially when somebody accidentally spills water on them. If there are uneven or cracked areas of the flooring or the pavement outside, make sure to have these fixed, too.
Invest in a Medical Alert System
What happens to your elderly if they have a medical emergency while you are out? A medical alert system will help alert medical practitioners and you that your parents have fallen or have medical emergencies. All your loved ones have to do is to push a button to get emergency care. Some medical alert systems even have fall detection that will alert the monitoring center if the bearer falls.
Light up Your Room
A lot of accidents can be averted if only your home is well-lit. Install motion-detecting lights if you can. That will keep your parents off having to find the light switch when they enter the room. A well-lit room helps the elderly see potential hazards clearly. If there’s a water spill on the floor, they can avoid it if the room is well-lit. So, yes, the right kinds of lights are necessary if you are going to house your elderly parents.
Safety-proofing your house for your senior parents is a bit like babyproofing it. You have to understand that your parents already have limited faculties. They aren’t as limber or strong as they were a decade ago. This change in their physical abilities is a non-issue if your house is designed to keep them safe.
