It’s a sad reality that thousands of elderly people are injured every year due to accidents that occur while they perform everyday tasks in their homes. A good majority of these accidents are caused from slipping and falling. With that in mind, what adjustments can you make in your elderly loved one’s home to help prevent some of these accidents? We will discuss just a couple of simple adjustments that can be made.
When looking around the house, have in mind the specific needs of someone with limited mobility and see how easy it is for them to get around. Check for tripping hazards such as electrical cords. Is there any stretching over walk through areas? This could easily cause someone to trip and fall. Also, depending on the kind of appliance the cord belongs to, it could become a fire hazard as well. If you notice that there doesn’t seem to be enough electrical cords where they are needed, why not arrange the furniture differently so that no wires or cords need to extend far. This would also be a good time to check the condition of such wires and cords, anything starting to fray or exposing wires should be replaced as these too are a fire hazard.
Carpeting is another area that can easily become a tripping hazard. Many older ones enjoy the comfort of carpeting. Look for areas of wear and tear. Is the carpets adhesive wearing out in some areas? This could make the carpet loose and start to raise up in those areas making it dangerous for an elderly person. What about rugs? These can be lethal if they don’t have a good rubber backing to keep them firmly in place.
As we stated earlier, this is only a couple of suggestions towards accident prevention in an elderly person’s home. You will, no doubt, notice many more areas that can be improved for safety as you check through their house.
When looking around the house, have in mind the specific needs of someone with limited mobility and see how easy it is for them to get around. Check for tripping hazards such as electrical cords. Is there any stretching over walk through areas? This could easily cause someone to trip and fall. Also, depending on the kind of appliance the cord belongs to, it could become a fire hazard as well. If you notice that there doesn’t seem to be enough electrical cords where they are needed, why not arrange the furniture differently so that no wires or cords need to extend far. This would also be a good time to check the condition of such wires and cords, anything starting to fray or exposing wires should be replaced as these too are a fire hazard.
Carpeting is another area that can easily become a tripping hazard. Many older ones enjoy the comfort of carpeting. Look for areas of wear and tear. Is the carpets adhesive wearing out in some areas? This could make the carpet loose and start to raise up in those areas making it dangerous for an elderly person. What about rugs? These can be lethal if they don’t have a good rubber backing to keep them firmly in place.
As we stated earlier, this is only a couple of suggestions towards accident prevention in an elderly person’s home. You will, no doubt, notice many more areas that can be improved for safety as you check through their house.
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