You might not think that home maintenance and organization play a role in senior safety at home, but they truly do. There are lots of little things you might want to look into right away.
Hire Home Care Assistance
Home care assistance might not seem to be related to home maintenance, but there are ways that caregivers can help your senior to be safer at home. Elder care providers know what to watch out for in terms of safety concerns. They’re also able to offer support and assistance to your elderly family member as she needs it.
Keep Floors Clear and Tidy
One of the ways that you can reduce potential problems for your senior is to keep her floors clear and clean. Excess clutter creates a tripping hazard. Clutter can also create the opportunity for lots of dust and dirt to build up on the floors, which can cause other problems, like insects and breathing trouble. Home care professionals can make it a lot easier for your senior to keep her floors clear.
Install and Test Grab Bars
Grab bars are a fast and easy way to increase safety for your senior immensely. Look for areas where your elderly family member might be more likely to lose her balance and need extra support, like in the bathroom. If there are existing grab bars in her home, make sure that you test them periodically to make sure that they’re secure and that your senior could use them if she needed them.
Install and Test Monitors and Detectors
Another important safety feature includes installing a variety of monitors and detectors, like smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms. These devices run in the background and sound an alert when something dangerous is detected. It’s vital to stay on top of whether these devices are working properly. There are testing functions on each of these devices that you should try out a few times a year.
Address Fire Hazards
Smoke detectors and other fire alarms are important, but it’s equally important to make sure that you’ve addressed as many possible fire hazards as you can. Local fire departments offer inspections that can help your senior to find and correct potential fire hazards in her home. Keeping up with things like turning off stoves when they’re not in use is equally important, and that’s another way home care providers can help.
Adjust Water Heater Temperatures
One maintenance task that lots of people overlook is water heater temperature. It’s all too easy for your senior to accidentally scald herself if the temperature on the water heater is set too high to be safe. These are usually easy to adjust down by a few degrees. Your elderly family member won’t notice any significant difference when bathing or using hot water in other ways, but she’ll be less likely to scald herself.
Home care professionals can help you to notice other issues that might be unsafe for your senior at home. Correcting those as soon as possible protects your elderly family member for a long time to come.
If you or an aging loved one is considering home care assistance in Manteca, CA, please contact the caring staff at Provident Care Home Care today at (209) 578-1210.
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