It is important to keep everyone safe in your family. It’s especially important when it comes to your aging parents. FirstLight Home Care has put together a list of safety tips to help prevent falls and accidents and keep your parent’s home safe.
Start with the exterior of their home. Walk around the home to check out the condition of sidewalks, handrails, lighting and vegetation or shrubs. Uneven sidewalks, loose handrails, poor lighting and overgrown landscaping could become a trip hazard. Move and put away outdoor furniture, flower pots and gardening tools that could obstruct their pathway.
Secure all points of entry. Inspect all windows and doors for weak or faulty locking mechanisms. Make sure they lock properly. During the summer months, be sure to secure any window air conditioning units with a metal bracket, sliding window locks or steel corner braces to prevent them from being pushed into or pulled out of the home. Make sure your parents are locking all windows and doors and that they are not leaving a back door unlocked or a window open when they’re not at home, are home alone or at night before they go to bed.
Check exterior lighting on their property. The front porch lights should be strong enough to illuminate the entrance and front yard. Other lighting around the exterior – near the garage, backdoor or alley – should also be lit. Motion sensors for exterior lights can be helpful because they don’t require your parents to remember to turn on or off.
Move inside and check around the home. This is the place your aging parents will spend most of their time. It is important to check the ease and accessibility to all rooms in their home. Make sure furniture is not obstructing walkways. Remove throw rugs to avoid tripping. Reposition floor lamps so that they don’t trip on cords. Purchase nightlights and place them throughout the house in case they get up at night. Clear away all things from the floor, including things like pet toys and bedding, stacks of newspapers or magazines. Make sure stairs have secure handrails on both sides of the stairs and that the end of the stairs is clearly marked (top and bottom). Check that smoke and carbon-monoxide detectors are working.
Once you have assessed the exterior and interior of the home, and fixed necessary issues, it’s now time to talk to your parents about home safety. Walk them through the changes that have been made, discuss their needs and concerns about their safety while living independently in their home, and continue to modify and discuss their needs as time goes on.
For more information on how to keep your aging parent’s safe while living independently, visit https://www.firstlighthomecare.com/
This article is provided by John and Christine Hamby, Owner, FirstLight Home Care of Temecula. For more information, visit us online at www.temecula.FirstLightHomeCare.com or call us at 951-395-0821.