Many seniors would prefer to age in the comfort of home. However, accidents become more common as seniors begin to face challenges with activities of daily living, such as cooking, light housekeeping, and personal care. Families need to conduct routine home assessments to ensure the safety of their aging loved ones. While wet floors, clutter, and poor lighting are well-known household dangers, the following are a few often-overlooked issues that can be detrimental to senior health and wellness.
1. Medications
Seniors are often dependent on numerous medications to treat certain ailments and conditions. However, medication management becomes more difficult for seniors with age. Small, illegible writing or small print on prescription labels can be dangerous for seniors with impaired vision, and forgetfulness can cause a senior to take too much or too little of certain medications. Families should consider pill organizers to help their loved ones stay on top of medications.
2. Water Heater
With age, skin often becomes more delicate and sensitive. Activities such as washing the hands, doing the dishes, and bathing can turn into activities that can burn or scold an aging adult. It’s important to check your elderly loved one’s water heater regularly to ensure it’s set at the right temperature. This way, you can prevent burns and other accidents related to hot water.
Hiring a professional caregiver is one of the best ways to enhance your parent’s safety at home. Although it may be challenging to find reliable, highly rated at-home care, Calgary, AB, families can turn to Home Care Assistance. Our respite and live-in caregivers are expertly trained to assist seniors with a wide array of important tasks, including cooking, bathing, light housekeeping, and exercise.
3. Chairs with Wheels
Whether your loved one is working at the computer or sitting down to a meal, he or she should not use chairs with wheels. In fact, they should be eliminated entirely from the household. These unsteady pieces of furniture can easily roll out of reach and cause your loved one to fall. Furniture on rollers is also difficult to control, making it challenging for seniors to sit down and get back up.
4. Kitchen Fire Hazards
Cooking meals can be an added benefit of independent living. However, the kitchen area is one of the most dangerous rooms in a home, and it’s where accidents often occur. One of the most common is fire hazards. From leaving the stove on to forgetting to turn off the oven, the factors that increase the danger of kitchen fires must be made clear to your loved one. Encourage your loved one to use a timer when baking, and consider kitchen tools such as a hot plate that only lets the top reach a certain temperature.
Some seniors require assistance with meal prep. If your aging loved one needs occasional help with bathing, grooming, cooking, or other basic household tasks, or if you need time to attend to important personal matters, reach out to Home Care Assistance, a leading provider of live-in and respite care. Calgary seniors can maintain their independence while living at home with the help of our reliable respite caregivers.
5. Locks, Deadbolts, & Other Deterrents
While locks, deadbolts, and other criminal deterrents can prevent an intruder from getting inside the home, the devices could prevent an easy escape in case of an emergency. Make sure your loved one knows how to use all of the locks in the home, and explain what to do if he or she is unable to get out in case of an emergency.
Many seniors prefer aging in place over moving to assisted living facilities. If your senior loved one needs assistance to remain safe and comfortable while living at home, reach out to Home Care Assistance, a leading homecare agency. Our dedicated in-home caregivers can assist with meal prep, bathing and grooming, exercise, medication reminders, and many other important tasks. To create a comprehensive in-home care plan for your parent, give us a call at 403-301-3777 today.