A Better Blueprint: Preparing Your Home for Care

You’ve designed your home with comfort in mind, but put yourself in your loved one’s shoes – or walker or wheelchair. Is your home safe? Recognize hazards before they become detrimental to your loved one’s well-being. 

Quick tips for making your house safe for your loved one:

  • Avoid stairs. Create one-level living if possible
  • Clear clutter. Keep floors free of obstacles
  • Remove loose carpets
  • Place non-slip mats under throw rugs
  • Install good lighting
  • Create accessible shelving to avoid bending and reaching
  • Set up baby monitors
  • Modify the house layout for wheelchair accessibility, if necessary
  • Install ramps/lift chairs, if necessary

Banish Bathroom Hazards

The bathroom – close quarters, lots of porcelain and slick, wet surfaces – presents its own set of hazards for anyone with physical limitations. Minimize challenges in your loved one’s bathroom area:

  • Install sturdy grab bars, weighted for a person, for the toilet and the tub/shower
  • Simplify the shower/tub entry, if possible
  • Add a shower chair or bench that enables a person who cannot walk to take a shower
  • Install an easy-to-turn shower knob (note: hot water can scald skin)
  • Install handheld showerheads
  • Switch from soap bars to pump bottles
  • Add extra lighting
  • Install an accessible toilet: molded plastic seat, adjustable seat or new model

 

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