You or your parents have a house that is a home. The house may be your dream house. You may have built the house yourself. You may have renovated an existing house, which has unspoken charm. In any case, you have a house that you have made into a home. As you or your parents mature, there are things that can be done to make the home more accessible for the elderly.
As a home care provider, the first face-to-face contact that we have with a client is when our home care nurse comes to your house to do an initial assessment. During the assessment, one of the things the home care nurse assesses is the home’s environment and how accessible for the elderly it is. The home care nurse will look for things that can pose a danger or make the house less accessible for the elderly or a handicapped person.
In this article, we discuss changes that can be made to the house to make it more convenient, safer, and more accessible for the elderly. In a lot of cases, these changes alone will be sufficient to allow an elderly person to be safe and comfortable in their home. If these changes aren’t enough, home care can help. We will go room by room discussing what changes can be made to make the home more accessible for the elderly.
There are a number of things that can be done in the bathroom. You should allow a minimum of 30 to 48 inches of unobstructed space in front of the toilet, sinks, bathtub, and shower. You should install grab bars around the tub, shower, and toilet. Floors can be slippery, so lay bathroom floor mats on surfaces where water might get on the floor. Always make sure the floor mats are secured and not sticking up posing a tripping hazard. Installing a higher sitting toilet can make it more comfortable for older people to get on and off the toilet. There are also seat extenders that can be used to raise the height of the toilet seat. Some of the seat extenders come with arm rests on the sides that can be helpful for getting off the toilet. It is also a good idea to have a night light in the bathroom to make it more accessible for the elderly.
The kitchen is also a space where changes can be made to make it more accessible for the elderly. It can be difficult for older people to reach items that are higher in the kitchen cabinets. So, make sure to lower items to the lowest level in the cabinets. Special thought should be taken into appliance decisions. Appliance companies have developed appliances that are specially designed to better suit elderly people. Replacing an older appliance with one of these new appliances might be a good option. There are also small appliances that might make life a little easier like an electric jar opener or cutting boards that hold food in place. Having rolling carts can make it easier to move things around.
Changes can also be made in the bedroom to make it more accessible for the elderly. Make sure pathways are clear. A lot of falls in the home happen because people trip on objects that are blocking pathways. Beds can be replaced with hospital style beds that are adjustable and have bed rails. Bed rails can help to keep older people from falling out of bed at night, but the older person must be able to raise and lower them independently. Night lights can also be useful if getting out of bed at night. If the light from night lights limits sleep, motion detecting night lights can be used to make the bedroom more accessible for the elderly.
There are other general changes that can be made to the rest of the house to make it more accessible for the elderly. Make sure pathways are clear. Secure any loose rugs to the hard floor with double sided tape. Do not put rugs on top of carpeting. Try to make any transitions from room to room even. Make sure all electric cords are not out in the open where they pose a trip hazard. Do not run electric cords under rugs. If at any time you feel you have to run an electric cord under a rug, that cord will pose a fire and trip hazard. It is better to find a different, safer way to plug in the electric device making it more accessible for the elderly.
If the above changes have been done to your home, and you still feel like additional help is needed to make the home accessible for the elderly, home care can help. In these instances, elderly people are having a lot of trouble with activities of daily living (ADLs). ADLs include eating, bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring (walking) and incontinence. Home care can provide caregivers who can assist with ADLs. Home care can be the difference that allows the elderly person to remain in their home, their community, and independent. Home care can help make your home more accessible for the elderly.
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