There may come a point where you need to consider ways to make your parents’ home more accessible.
This way you can ensure they are safe when you are not around to help.As your parents age, their ability to take care of themselves will decline, making day-to-day activities more challenging. However, this does not mean they have to stay in this potentially dangerous situation; instead, you can come up with ways to make your parents’ home more accessible.
These can be slight changes that offer them greater convenience and safer mobility or more extensive changes that streamline everyday activities and chores.
Install Ramps
The first consideration is to see whether you need to install ramps. Stairs pose a significant tripping and falling hazard to older individuals and can send them to the emergency room. Ramps will come in handy with exterior doors leading to the home, but you may need to acquire a building permit to complete the process.
Consider Potential Obstacles
As people age, it may become more difficult for them to clean up after themselves, which results in a build-up of clutter. This clutter is the most common cause of trips and falls around the home. Beyond clutter, everyday objects throughout the house can pose a risk to your parents as they move around, whether those obstacles come in the form of coffee tables, chairs, or bed legs.
Think of the Right Flooring
The type of flooring your parents have also plays a role in the level of danger that is present in their home. Carpeting can act as tripping hazards, especially if it becomes bunched up. Think about replacing floors with smoother surfaces to reduce the risk of tripping.
Wider Spaces
If your parents require the use of a walker or wheelchair to move around their home, widening doorways and hallways may become a necessity. Many spaces in the average home are not designed with these wider devices in mind, making it difficult to maneuver through them. Inspect the walkways of your parents’ home to ensure they are able to get through without hassle.
In-Home Care
Sometimes, making your parent’s home more accessible means having someone check in on them and facilitating daily chores and activities. There are several benefits of in-home care, but chief among them is having a health care professional available to maintain the home and make sure it is safe for your parents when you are not around to help.
Act Before a Fall
When your parent has to go to the doctor due to a fall in their home, that is typically a sign that it is past time to make changes. Act sooner rather than later to make sure your parents do not sustain any unnecessary and life-threatening injuries.
