With increasing life expectancies, it is becoming more common for the elderly to move into the home of one of their children, especially single grandparents who may be struggling with living on their own.
Anytime you add an extra person into your home there will be changes to the dynamic of the household. When that extra person is elderly, and perhaps frail or forgetful, you need to consider how safe your home is to meet their needs.
Many elderly suffer from hearing loss. In the event of any emergency, as well as normal communication around the home, you want to ensure the hearing-impaired grandparent can hear what is going on. You can compare hearing aids to ensure your grandparent has the best hearing assistance to fit their needs.
When you have your children in the home, especially if they are very young, the risk of accidents and injuries for a grandparent and any grandchildren increases.
Here are some safety tips to consider introducing to your home when grandparents are moving in or staying for an extended period.
Bathroom Safety
Install an automatic nightlight – this ensures good lighting during all night-time bathroom visits.
Attach handrails on bathtub and shower walls – these make it easier for the elderly to bathe. You can also visit safe bathing for more options and information about accessible walk-in bathtubs for seniors.
Install a skid-proof textured mat – this is placed on the bath or shower floor to prevent slips and falls
Reduce the home’s water temperature – this will reduce the risk of burns when bathing
Kitchen Safety
Keep bulky items within easy reach – keep bigger items on the kitchen bench to reduce the need to bend or over-reach to get something
Keep cleaning supplies under the sink – this reduces the risk of accidentally contaminating food or being mistaken as some kind of drinking liquid
Medicine Checks
Make sure medicine bottles can be opened easily – Childproof caps on medicine bottles are also often grandchild proof too
Get the pharmacist to prepare a pill dispenser – for those with regular medication needs, this enables all medications to be taken at the correct time of the day
Home Safety
Get a medical alert system – if the grandparent will often be home alone, or if they are living in a separate home on the property, these systems can make it easy for them to call for help either from you or from emergency services.
Make sure you have working smoke detectors and fire extinguishers – in the event of a fire, the sooner the elderly are aware of the danger, the more time they have to get out
Move electrical cords or telephone cords out of traffic areas – trips and falls are the major cause of injuries for the elderly within the home environment
Ensure that stairwells have good lighting with switches at the top and bottom – and handrails will also help, walking up and downstairs is a major hazard in terms of falls for the elderly
Where the grandparent needs a high level of care, but your lifestyle and commitments make it impossible to care for them 24/7, there are home care professionals that can assist with issues like bathing or provide higher levels of support
Final Word
Many of these safety measures apply equally to young children, especially when it comes to keeping harmful items within easy reach.
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