5 Tips for Making a Home Comfortable and Safe for Seniors

​A home environment for seniors needs the right touches and upgrades to accommodate the needs of aged loved ones. Regardless of whether a senior has a special condition or not, it is vital to check their living environment to ensure no underlying dangers. Here are five tips for making a home comfortable and safe for seniors.

1. ​Keep it warm

Older adults have trouble regulating their body temperatures, and spending time in a house that is too hot or too cold can quickly turn into a medical emergency. It gets worse when a senior has chronic conditions such as diabetes, respiratory complications, or cardiovascular diseases, as they are more vulnerable to temperature changes. To avoid these risks, you need to ensure a senior’s home is ever warm, which calls for the regular services of heating and cooling specialists such as Allied Experts.

2. ​Make the bathroom and kitchen safer

The two rooms in a home that present the greatest dangers to seniors are the bathroom and kitchen. Bathrooms are a prime spot for slip and fall accidents, while kitchens are notorious for causing accidents that lead to house fires. Luckily, you can make these rooms safer by:

•  Installing grab bars in the showers, next to the toilet, and above the bathtub
• Using shower chairs and non-slip mats in and around the bathroom
• Providing easy-to-use kitchen appliances such as cookers and ovens with automatic shut-off or programmed buttons.
• Installing fire and smoke detectors in the kitchen
• Ensuring the kitchen is arranged for the convenience of use and movement

3. ​Have more open spaces

Whether a senior is strong enough to walk independently or depends on walking canes or a wheelchair, they need lots of open space for easy movement. This calls for home decluttering to remove all unnecessary items and hindrances that might pose a danger to your aged loved ones. Do not forget to check the furniture to ensure they are all stable, have their sharp corners padded, and arranged to provide plenty of walking space.​

4. ​Install better lighting

Most seniors have poor eyesight and do not have the strength to reach switches mounted too high. As such, you will need to install better lighting systems such as indoor motion sensor lights, having light switches that are easily accessible, and putting brighter lights in the hallways, stairs, and other darker areas.

5. ​Eliminate tripping hazards

There are several necessary precautions for seniors to take, and one of them is avoiding physical injuries. In turn, it is essential to eliminate all tripping hazards in a home by:

• Installing slip-resistant floors and grab bars along the stairs
• Ensuring no electrical cords or loose ropes are running across a room
• Removing all items that could lead to slip and fall injuries or pose a danger if your loved one trips. These include throw rugs, unstable décor pieces, and clutter on the floor.

​Endnote

The first step to ensuring your aged loved ones live with dignity is by making their dwelling place comfortable. Use these tips to make the necessary upgrades in a home for happier and healthier senior living.