Because of the needs and abilities of senior citizens, elderly loved ones should also be provided with a safe and comfortable home environment where they can live their lives with ease. As someone ages, the way they move about in their house could be affected and that could make their life harder, both physically and mentally. So having a safe environment for them in a home is important. This article will help you prepare the home that your elderly loved one lives in so that it is more safe and comfortable.
1. Assess and Modify the Living Space
- Test the layout: Walk around the house and check that rooms are easy to get to and there are clear, unobstructed routes from one room to another. Clear any obstacles that might trip people up.
- Good Lighting: Make sure your apartment is well-lit for safety. Install bright, even lighting in every room, especially in hallways, staircases, and bathrooms, and install night lights in key areas so it’s easy to see during night-time hours.
- Install Grab Bars and Handrails: If it’s a bathroom, grab bars should be placed by the toilet and in the shower or bathtub to provide stability and balance. Handrails should be attached to staircases and hallways to help prevent falling.
2. Make the Bathroom Safe
- Non-Slip Flooring: Rather than shiny slate bathroom tiles, install non-slip flooring in bather and shower rooms to reduce the risk of slipping. Alternatively, consider placing non-slip mats or adhesive strips on the bottoms of bathtubs or showers that have slippery edges.
- Adjustable Showerheads Fix a handheld showerhead with a long hose to an existing shower to allow easier and safer showering, even when seated. Also, think about adding a shower seat or bench.
- Elevated Toilet Seats: Bump up your guest’s comfort level with an elevated toilet seat or a toilet safety frame.
3. Optimize Bedroom Comfort
- Adjustable Beds: Invest in an adjustable bed, which enables you to change position, making it easier to get in and out of bed.
- Things within Easy Reach: The most frequently used items, such as medication, tissues, and water, should be within easy reach of the bed. Bedside tables with drawers can help you organize these items.
- And then supportive mattresses and pillows. Mattresses and pillows should be supportive. Orthopedic mattresses are sort of helpful for people or memory foam pads as well that can de-stress joints and support their joints. Supportive Mattresses and Pillows.
4. Enhance Kitchen Safety
- Easy access: Keep things you use often in easy-to-reach low cabinets and drawers Try to avoid placing anything up high where you will only be able to reach it by standing on a step stool.
- Appliances with lots of easy-to-read dials: for some people, an oven with high-contrast clock-style dials can be easier to use than visible-touch controls that work with a finger swipe Easy-to-use appliances: jar openers or electric can openers that help to get food onto a plate or into a bowl can help when preparing food.
- Non-Slip Mats: Place non-slip mats in front of your sink and your stove to prevent slipping.
5. Address Mobility and Accessibility Needs
- Pathways Clear: Keep pathways clear of obstructions from floor to floor, and from room to room. If necessary, move or rearrange furniture to create wide, clear routes.
- Ramps and Elevators: Having steps or stairs in and around your home to reach different levels, eg from the ground floor to the first floor, can reduce mobility for your visitor. You could think about putting in a ramp or stairlift to improve access.
- Mobility Aids: Offer mobility aids such as a walker or cane, and make sure they’re kept in appropriate places around the home. Ensure your loved one knows how to use the aids.
6. Ensure Safety with Technology
- Emergency Alert Systems: Install emergency alert systems or personal emergency response systems (PERS) that allow your loved one to push a button to call for help. These systems usually include wearable devices such as pendants or bracelets.
- Smart Home Devices: Use smart home technology, such as a voice activation device, smart thermostat, and an automated lighting system, that will increase ease with daily tasks and improve overall convenience.
- Security Systems: Set up a security system with varied safety features – including motion detectors, cameras, and alarms – to further secure the home and enable your loved one to feel more secure.
7. Promote a Comfortable Living Environment
- Temperature Control: Keep the house comfortable by maintaining consistent temperature and humidity. Install fans, electric heaters, air conditioning, or similar, and consider installing thermostatic controls that your loved one can operate easily.
- Furniture that’s comfortable and supportive, but not too low or overly soft Works best: Using furniture that’s comfortable and supportive can help you achieve better posture. Low and overly soft chairs or sofas can be challenging to get in and out of.
- Domesticate the Space: Make the space feel more welcoming and less stark by providing familiar and comforting items such as pictures, artwork, and other sources of solace and security.
8. Foster Social Interaction and Engagement
- Make Social Areas: Identify hot spots in the house that are designed for socializing – the living room, sitting room, or dining area where your loved one can share time with family and friends.
- Encourage Hobbies: Provide materials and space in the home for your loved one to engage in special interests, which she is likely to pursue with even more enthusiasm if she worked retail before.
- Plan for Accessibility: Making room in the laundry, craft nook, or social space ready for concentrating and attempting new things is critical.
9. Regular Maintenance and Safety Checks
- Routine inspections: Inspect the property regularly for maintenance issues such as loose railings, broken tiles, and defective appliances, and resolve problems immediately Reet Palakar is an instructor and program manager at the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University.
- Safety Drills: Once you have put together your emergency plan, conduct safety drills, such as fire drills, so your loved one knows how to respond to an emergency.
- Perform periodic professional home evaluations: what do your child’s providers see when they look at your house? Are there danger zones where your child and others could get hurt? Any tips or tricks? Get an occupational therapist to do a safety assessment of your house and equipment, or work with a pediatrician who has experience with kids with CP or your local Cerebral Palsy Association.
10. Consider Professional Assistance
- Home Modifications: If major modifications are warranted, consider employing a professional service specializing in home modifications for older adults. You could join the society for crippled children and adults. The benefits of joining include access to emergency medical services and government-sponsored events that enhance socialization and provide inspiration.
- In-home care services: Consider in-home care services where one can get help with daily living activities, support with medication management, and companion care, all of which can help improve a person’s quality of life by providing additional support.
- Support Groups and Resources: Look for a support group or local resources that provide information and assistance for caregivers. Often, these resources can share tips on home safety and comfort.
What are the most effective exercise programs to improve balance and strength in seniors?
Balance and strength exercises are two types of exercises that are highly recommended for elders. As a personal trainer, it is advisable to recommend some of the below exercise programs to improve the elders’ conditions:
Balance Exercises
- One-legged stance: This exercise improves your balance and you can progress with this exercise by increasing the duration or trying with your eyes closed.
- Heel-to-toe Walking: Walk in a straight line, placing your heel directly in front of the toes of the opposite foot. This helps you with your sense of balance and coordination.
- Tai chi: Characterised by slow, flowing movements that promote balance and improve strength and flexibility, while also enhancing relaxation and a mindful state.
- Yoga: Many poses in yoga, like Tree Pose, emphasize balance and stability – key factors in enhancing core strength and body awareness.
- Lunges: Walking lunges can enhance lower-body strength while also improving balance.
Strength Training
- Resistance Band Exercise: Use bands to do a seated row or a leg press. These help you build strength without adding weight.
- Bodyweight exercises: Simple movements such as muscle-ups against the wall, getting up from a chair, and squats increase muscle functionality and strength.
- Water Aerobics: An exercise in water with the bonus of resistance, without any stress on joints; also an excellent exercise for balance.
- Pilates: Developed by Joseph Pilates during the First World War, this system of exercises also promotes core strength and flexibility for improved balance and strength.
- Light weights or dumbbells that can be used for working the major muscle groups help in maintaining muscle mass and bone density.
Recommendations
- Frequency: Older adults are advised to participate in balance and strength training at least two to three times per week to achieve the optimal benefit and risk reduction associated with balance problems and falls.
- Integration: Combining balancing, strengthening, stretching, and cardiovascular exercises together creates a powerful fitness program and enhances internal organ health and body mobility.
- Advice for boomers: Older people should talk to healthcare providers before beginning an exercise routine, especially if you have any underlying health conditions or concerns about your balance.
- Using these exercise programs can help seniors improve their balance and strength, stay independent, and reduce falls.
Improving the environment of your elderly loved one at home can help ensure they enjoy a better quality of life and live out their days in comfort and safety. To maximize improvement, ask yourself the right questions and focus on some thoughtful details. Take a moment to read through the questions and consider them about your family members. Keep them in mind as you modify the home environment to ensure everything you do (and pay for) contributes to an improved life.
Finally, your goal is to make space that allows an independent and healthy lifestyle, as well as a comfortable and safe feel. Adjustments and support enable your elderly loved one to remain in their home with a good quality of life.
