How to make a home safe for the elderly

If you’re having any safety concerns when an older relative comes to visit or about older people living in the house, we at Barchester want to help you make your home more accessible for them. It may not always be that easy to identify what problems are present for older people inside your house, which is why we have put together this guide for you.

There are a number of things that can be safety hazards to the elderly. These include essential objects of the house like stairs, bathtubs and wires connected to the TV and computers. So what can you do to make your house more accessible to the elderly?

Elderly safety measures

When adding elderly safety measures to your house you may need to take into consideration how much you really need for the person/people in question. There might be a need for bigger doorways and a stair lift if the person in question is in a wheelchair. Depending on any mobility and stability issues, it would be wise to install a built-in shower/bath seat and also have grab bars and non-slip mats in the shower and bathroom. The main items that are usually suggested include:

• Bigger doorways
• Grab bars and non-slip mats in the bathroom
• Built-in shower seat
• A stair lift
• Downstairs bedroom

These are just some of the measures taken to help the elderly move around the house more easily.  Singer Leonard Cohen’s fall may well have lead to his passing and so it is critical that these measures are taken heed of.

Keeping the house safe for older relatives has benefits for both the old and the young. Although the little ones won’t really need grab bars in the bathroom they will definitely love to use the stair lift with Grandma or Grandad.

Fixing these bits and bobs to make your house friendlier to older family members may seem like an expensive task, however, always keep in mind that is better to be safe than sorry.

Prevention is the best medicine

Depending on how mobile your ageing relative is, they may not need that many safety measures yet. If you don’t feel like you’re at the stage that you would need any of these products, then the best way to prevent purchasing them prematurely is by ensuring your elderly relative sticks to a healthy diet and exercise plan.

Keeping active is one of the benefits of being at a Barchester care home. With our friendly staff always around to help with anything you may need, there is a variety of activities to keep you busy.

At Barchester we take health and safety very seriously (we’ve even won some awards!), so if you need any more advice on how to make your home more accessible for any elderly relatives or friends we are here to help! You can contact us online.