It’s the happiest season of all – and you want to make sure it stays that way! Nothing puts a damper on the holiday like an avoidable accident. The CDC tells us that falls are a major cause of injury for older adults in the US each year, with over 14 million incidents. And while falls are one of the biggest risks for older adults, many people over the age of 65 might also struggle with reduced hearing or vision, which could expose them to additional risks. So, with all that worry on your mind, let’s put it at ease by running through some of the steps you can take to ensure your parent’s home is safe for them through this holiday season and beyond.
Reduce Clutter
Not only can clutter around the house contribute to stress and anxiety, but it can also be dangerous! When things are laying about or piled high it can be easy for them to be stepped on, bumped into or tripped over. Offer to help your parent tidy up around the house or maybe suggest that they have a cleaner come and visit whose speciality is decluttering.
Clutter can be troublesome for those with allergies, as clutter can accumulate dust, especially if there’s so much that it’s hard to get to certain items. Plus, having lots of newspapers and knickknacks lying around could add unnecessary fuel to a fire, turning something that’s small and manageable into something big quickly.
Some older adults might struggle to let things go, or could even verge into hoarder territory. If you suspect or know this to be the case then you should strongly urge them to talk to a therapist. Trying to rid their house of items without proper processing could cause severe trauma and could make the issue worse. However, if that’s not an issue then it’s likely they’ll just be grateful to have the extra hand tidying up the place!
Proper Footwear
Regardless of whether your family is one who wears shoes in the house or not, it’s important that whatever is on your parent’s feet is slip-proof. Too many people run around their house in socks or cheap slippers with no tread, and that can be a serious hazard, especially for older adults. Not to fear, if your parent loves wearing socks or slippers there are plenty of models with good tread on the bottom. You can even test a product yourself by putting it on and running your foot along the floor. Something with proper tread shouldn’t slide.
Even if a house has carpets, proper tread should still be considered. Falls are still common on stairs and there are always going to still be rooms without carpet like the bathroom and kitchen, which are also more likely to be slippery due to the presence of water.
Wearing shoes is also a good option as long as they are comfortable, heelless and with good tread. Dress shoes and ballet flats are not good choices.
If you take appropriate footwear seriously then your parent is probably going to be more likely to as well. They might feel infantilized if you encourage them to wear socks with tread, while you still wear regular ones around the house. Instead, try buying matching pairs to show how important you’re taking not just their safety, but your own as well.
Grab Bars and Rails
A great way to improve safety in an older adult’s home is through the addition of grab bars and rails. Grab bars offer stability during transitional movements where falls are more likely. Here are some common places to put them throughout a home:
- Shower. Showers and baths are some of the most likely fall zones, due to the addition of an extra slippery surface and body. Plus, getting up from a seated position is much more challenging than it is to go up and down a modest step. Make sure that grab rails are placed at an appropriate height for when the user will need it.
- Toilet. Grab rails are useful next to the toilet for a similar reason – getting up from a seated position can be especially difficult.
- Top of the stairs. An older adult might be exerted at the top of the stairs and going back to stable ground can be disorienting, especially if the railing has run out. A grab bar can help with that unsteadiness.
- Near doors. Opening and closing doors can be a full body maneuver, and having a strategically placed grab bar can avoid a fall incident.
If you are considering grab bars then be sure that they are being installed by someone who is certified to do the work and knows how to properly access the strength of the walls and how to anchor them into the studs where they’re being placed. A fall is bad enough without it being caused because the grab bar fell out when someone was pulling on it! You should also look into getting textured grab bars so that your parent’s hand can’t slip off them – something that’s a particular risk in a damp environment like a bathroom!
Along with grab bars you should also take a look at the rails around your parent’s home. There should always be a sturdy rail on staircases and around any balconies.
Sometimes someone might have a lot of their mobility left, but be struggling with stiffness in their joints, and having bars and rails in their home could make all the difference when it comes to staying independent for a longer period of time.
Salt or Sand
If you live in a cold state then you already know what this is about. In places that experience rain, snow, periods of freezing and repeat know that sidewalks and steps up to a home can quickly turn into ice rinks, which can make simply walking down to the car a dangerous mission. To combat this, it’s a good idea to have a container of salt or ice handle on the doorstep. Salt will actually melt snow and ice, while sand will merely provide grit and traction making it a little less risky to walk on.
Not only is this a good way to make sure your parent is safe, but it’s also just a good practice. It helps protect neighbors, and delivery drivers who could easily slip if your walkway is left unattended.
Lighting
You don’t have to be afraid of the dark…unless it’s dark at your parent’s place, because that could be a, you guessed it, hazard. No, your parent doesn’t need to glaring overhead lights on at all times, but they might want to consider turning up the dimmers just a bit. Having low lights can make it difficult to see things in their way, and it can be easy to trip over an item on the ground or even just bump into a small shelf or a footstool. Of course, the hope is that you’ve decluttered enough that bumping into things isn’t an issue, but even so, good lighting can be very helpful in preventing accidents.
Something else to consider when it comes to lighting is having lights available if your parent gets up in the night. If they tend to go to the bathroom or get hungry for a midnight snack, then setting up small nightlights might be a good idea. These can be motion activated so that they only turn on if your parent gets up, and they are still dim enough that they won’t wake up anyone else who is still asleep. Plus you can get them in cute designs, which is always a hit.
Even if your parent has lived in their house for years and knows their way around, it’s never a bad idea to make things just a little bit safer.
Slip Hazards
Not only can vacuuming rugs be a real pain, but having them can be pain-ful! The National Library of Medicine shares that loose, unsecured rugs, or rugs with curled edges can contribute to falls, particularly for older adults.
Of course, the safest course of action is to have no rugs at all, but that might not be the most realistic solution. If your parent is attached to a rug, or the kind of person to love having several placed around their home, here are a few things to think about to help make them safer so that you don’t need to worry about your parent falling.
- Rug pads. You can purchase rug pads that provide grip with the floor underneath so that the rug can’t slide around on the floor. Some rugs might even come with this feature attached to the rug already, which is a good option to consider if purchasing a new rug.
- Placement. If you want to avoid slips, then it’s important to think about appropriate placement for rugs in your parent’s home. Ensure that rugs are not placed in areas with uneven surfaces, at the top or bottom of stairs, or through any kind of entrance way. You’ll also want to avoid placing rugs where they can easily be ruffled or moved. For example, a rug placed in the front hallway where everyone is coming and going would not be the best choice.
- Check edges. Often, as rugs age, their edges begin to curl, making them much easier to trip over than when they’re brand new. To avoid this hazard, make sure you check over any rugs in your parent’s home and tape down any edges that are curling. If the rug continues to curl even with intervention, then it’s time to say goodbye to that rug.
- Material. Some rugs are more prone to be a slip hazard than others. Thin, silky material can move around more easily, while thicker rugs made out of wool tend to be a lot more sturdy.
You don’t want to take away something that brings joy to your parent, so make sure you have a conversation with them about the potential dangers of the rugs in their home before tossing anything out. If they do want to keep them, then hopefully the tips above can provide a way to keep their home stylish as well as safe.
Emergency Access and Call List
A thought that scares a lot of adult children is the thought that your parent might end up hurt and unable to call for help when they need it. But thankfully, there are a few steps you can take to make sure that doesn’t happen.
First off, it’s always a good idea to have an emergency call list placed somewhere highly visible in your parent’s house. This is so that they can alert emergency services in the event of an accident where they can’t remember a number, but also for anyone who might come to attend to your parent who needs to contact you and anyone else in your parent’s support network. Unless your parent has a landline, which can instantly transmit an exact address, it’s always a good idea to put your parent’s address on this list as well. It’s amazing what some people can forget when they’re in a panic.
In addition to the list you might consider getting your parent some sort of emergency medical alert device. These devices feature easy to press buttons that you can usually wear around your neck or on a watch, and many of them can also detect when there has been an accident, so can still send out an alert even if your parent is unconscious. Find a list of some of the best devices of 2024 here.
Check/Install Detectors
The holidays are a great time to make sure your parent’s home has up to date and working fire and carbon monoxide detectors. Pro Tech Security tells us that there should be detectors on every level of your house, with ones near the bedrooms, kitchen and laundry rooms. Smoke detectors should be installed on the ceiling, while carbon monoxide detectors should be around knee height.
They should be tested every month and kept clear of dust and obstacles. Also check the expiry dates of your detectors. Even if they have never gone off each detector needs to replaced after a certain number of years. It’s a small payment to keep your parent safe for years to come.
You should also consider your parent’s hearing ability when installing detectors. If they have limited hearing you might want to look into having a detector that flashes lights as well as sound, or ensuring that the placement is close enough to important spaces that they would hear it even when asleep.
Fires and gas leaks can happen at any time, and if you parent is getting more and more forgetful then they might be at even higher risk of leaving the stove on or forgetting to clean the lint trap from their dryer. Detectors might just save their life.
Generally, safety is something that needs an upfront investment, but after you’ve put in the work of getting up to date detectors, medical alerts or installing bars, then after that the maintenance is pretty light. And the good thing is that your mind can be light as well, knowing that your parent is safe in their own home.
