Safety Proofing For Home Caregiving

Safety Proofing for Home

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Safety Proofing for Home Caregiving

Elderly people are more inclined to trip and fall, or

otherwise injure themselves at home.

Unfortunately, these injuries are harder to recover

from at an older age. Luckily, there are many simple

precautions that can be taken to greatly reduce the

risk of injury.



There are some tasks that can be done in any living

area of the home:

• All rugs and loose carpets should be either

tacked or taped to the ground. This will preventtacked or taped to the ground. This will prevent

seniors from tripping on turned-up corners or

scrunched rugs.

• Electric cords should be secured to the wall or

placed under rugs so no one trips on them.



• Sharp corners on tables or countertops should be

covered to avoid serious injury in the event of a

fall.

• Staircases should have railings on both sides that

are strong enough to support a person’s full body

weight. Ideally these railings should extend beyond

the top and bottom steps.



Bathrooms can be dangerous if they aren’t

adequately prepared:

• Installing an elevated toilet seat will allow elderly

individuals to get up and down easily, as will addingindividuals to get up and down easily, as will adding

a railing on both sides of the toilet.

• The shower should have a bar to grab in case

someone starts to slip.

• Placing a shower seat in the tub increases safety.


• The hot water faucet should be labeled or painted

red to avoid scalding.

• Slick floors can be made safer by adding a no-slip


• Slick floors can be made safer by adding a no-slip

mat by the sink and shower.

• If the shower door is made of glass, it should be

marked with colorful tape or decals so no one

accidentally tries to step through the door.


The kitchen can also be safety proofed easily:

• Make sure that all appliances are in good

working order. If they aren’t, it may be time to

make some new purchases or hire a repairman.


make some new purchases or hire a repairman.

• All appliances should be placed near an outlet

at waist height so seniors don’t have to struggle

to reach things that are either too high or too

low.

• Ensure that there is adequate lighting. This is

especially important in the kitchen, where tools

such knives and shredders are used on a regular


such knives and shredders are used on a regular

basis.

• Make sure the smoke detector has fresh batteries.



Safety proofing a home may seem like a daunting

task, but it is necessary, and most of the jobs that

need to be done are relatively simple.

Enlisting the help of a friend is a good idea, as the job

will go faster and you’ll be less likely to miss anything.

With the proper precautions, you can rest assured

that your older friend or family member is living in

the safest home possible.


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Safety Proofing For Home Caregiving

Health & Medicine

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