4 Small Home Improvements that Can Make Your Elderly Loved One’s Life Easier

By Susan Myer, RN, BSN, CCRN, CDP | November 3, 2016 | Comments Off on 4 Small Home Improvements that Can Make Your Elderly Loved One’s Life Easier
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Improving your elderly loved one’s safety at home doesn’t always mean spending a fortune or tackling a complicated project. It can also mean making small changes that make a big difference.

Check out Dish Storage

When your elderly loved one is in good health and has no health restrictions or considerations, where she stores her dishes is probably not something you give much thought to. But when the situation changes, having heavy dishes stored overhead or in other inconvenient locations can be really difficult for your loved one. Try moving dishes that she uses regularly to lower shelves and cupboards so that they’re easier to get to. Don’t worry about how the shelves look as much as about how functional they are for your loved one.

Removed Raised Thresholds in Doorways

Tripping hazards in general are something that your loved one could use a lot fewer of and most of them are things you can remove or move, such as throw rugs. Some are more permanent, like thresholds in doorways. If these are raised above the level of the flooring around them, they can present an awful tripping hazard for your loved one. The problem only grows in low light conditions. Removing them can make a huge difference, but be careful not to leave a dip or hole that can be a tripping hazard on its own.

Replace Knobs for Levers

As your loved one ages, knobs can be more difficult to maneuver, especially if the knob is a tight one without a lot of give and movement. Replacing knobs with levers can be a tremendous help to your loved one. The lever allows her to use her whole hand or forearm rather than just the muscles in her hand. You can replace other knobs, too, such as faucet knobs, with levers.

Install Hand Rails

Even if your loved one doesn’t have any balance issues now, start looking at where you can place hand rails. Having something to reach out for and grab can help your loved one to avoid some nasty falls. Stairways are an obvious choice for hand rails, of course, but you can also put them around the bathroom, in hallways, and anywhere else that there’s not something solid to hold onto.

Your loved one’s senior care providers can help you to spot other safety issues that you can fix pretty quickly, too.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring professional senior care in Warren, NJ, please talk to the caring staff at Generations Home Health Care today. Providing Home Care in Somerset, Essex, Union, Morris and Hunterdon Counties. Call us today at (908) 290-0691 or (973) 241-4534.

Susan Myer, RN, BSN, CCRN, CDP
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