Elderly people are more inclined to trip and fall, or otherwise injure themselves at home. Unfortunately, these injuries are harder to recover from at an older age. Luckily, there are many simple precautions that can be taken to greatly reduce the risk of injury.
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3. Safety Proofing for Home Caregiving
Elderly people are more inclined to trip and fall, or
otherwise injure themselves at home.
Unfortunately, these injuries are harder to recover
from at an older age. Luckily, there are many simple
precautions that can be taken to greatly reduce the
risk of injury.
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4. Safety Proofing for Home Caregiving
There are some tasks that can be done in any living
area of the home:
• All rugs and loose carpets should be either
tacked or taped to the ground. This will prevent
seniors from tripping on turned-up corners or
scrunched rugs.
• Electric cords should be secured to the wall or
placed under rugs so no one trips on them.
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5. Safety Proofing for Home Caregiving
• Sharp corners on tables or countertops should be
covered to avoid serious injury in the event of a
fall.
• Staircases should have railings on both sides that
are strong enough to support a person’s full body
weight. Ideally these railings should extend beyond
the top and bottom steps.
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6. Safety Proofing for Home Caregiving
Bathrooms can be dangerous if they aren’t
adequately prepared:
• Installing an elevated toilet seat will allow elderly
individuals to get up and down easily, as will adding
a railing on both sides of the toilet.
• The shower should have a bar to grab in case
someone starts to slip.
• Placing a shower seat in the tub increases safety.
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7. Safety Proofing for Home Caregiving
• The hot water faucet should be labeled or painted
red to avoid scalding.
• Slick floors can be made safer by adding a no-slip
mat by the sink and shower.
• If the shower door is made of glass, it should be
marked with colorful tape or decals so no one
accidentally tries to step through the door.
8. Safety Proofing for Home Caregiving
The kitchen can also be safety proofed easily:
• Make sure that all appliances are in good
working order. If they aren’t, it may be time to
make some new purchases or hire a repairman.
• All appliances should be placed near an outlet
at waist height so seniors don’t have to struggle
to reach things that are either too high or too
low.
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9. Safety Proofing for Home Caregiving
• Ensure that there is adequate lighting. This is
especially important in the kitchen, where tools
such knives and shredders are used on a regular
basis.
• Make sure the smoke detector has fresh batteries.
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10. Safety Proofing for Home Caregiving
Safety proofing a home may seem like a daunting
task, but it is necessary, and most of the jobs that
need to be done are relatively simple.
Enlisting the help of a friend is a good idea, as the job
will go faster and you’ll be less likely to miss anything.
With the proper precautions, you can rest assured
that your older friend or family member is living in
the safest home possible.
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11. For more information on products
and services for caregivers
visit our website
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