Staying at home as you age offers many benefits. You’re in a familiar place where memories abound with friends and neighbors nearby, and in the community you know and love. However, you can only age in place for as long as you stay safe at home. Because falls are the biggest threat facing seniors at home, focus your attention on ways to reduce trip hazards at home like these five steps:
1. Secure Power Cords
Cords laying in your path are a serious trip hazard, but securing them is easy. Use power strips to contain several cords to a single area (but pay attention to wattage) and a loose zip tie to hold them together. When possible, run cords along a wall. There are adhesive cord clips made just for this purpose. Avoid running cords across floors, but if you must, don’t hide them under a rug — it’s a fire hazard. Instead, use cord covers or run cords across the ceiling.
2. Get Rid of Rugs
If you fall in your home, there’s a good chance a throw rug will be the culprit. According to HealthDay, tripping over an obstacle is the most common reason that seniors fall and fracture their hip — indoors, throw rugs are the obstacle most commonly cited. The safest option is to get rid of rugs. If you have slick floors, consider replacing slick flooring with a slip-resistant alternative, using anti-fatigue mats in kitchens and bathrooms (a 3’x5’ mat can be purchased for $37.50), or applying an anti-slip treatment to add traction to tile floors.
3. Ramp Door Thresholds
High thresholds between rooms pose yet another fall hazard. Make the transition between rooms more gentle with threshold ramps and floor transition strips. You can purchase adjustable threshold ramps for entrances and floors with significant height differences or transition strips for small height differences throughout the home.
4. Install Motion-Activated Switches
When you replace your light switches with motion-activated lighting, there’s no more fumbling for a switch when you wake up at night. The best part? You don’t need an electrician to install motion-activated switches. You can purchase and install switches all by yourself with just a screwdriver. Motion-activated lights are a great solution in bedrooms, hallways and bathrooms, but you may not want to use them in living areas where you spend stretches of time sitting still. Check out Nerd Techy’s guide for help selecting the right motion-activated switches for your home.
5. Install Grab Bars
Tile surfaces and water are a slippery combination, which makes the bathroom the most dangerous room in the home. Grab bars provide needed support when getting in and out of the bath and on and off the toilet. Grab bars must be properly anchored to walls in order to support a person’s weight. It’s a good idea to hire this job out to ensure your grab bars are installed correctly. The average cost of hiring a handyman in Discovery Bay is $202 – $420.
These five modifications are easy and affordable, but they may not be enough to make a home safe for aging in place. If your home has safety hazards that would be difficult or expensive to renovate — for example, lowering kitchen cabinets or installing a home elevator — think about moving instead.
Certain real estate listing websites have filters that let you search for accessible homes. However, what “accessible” means varies by listing. Have a checklist of what you’re looking for so you can review the options and find a home that meets your needs.
Adapting your home for safer aging shouldn’t wait until you’re already experiencing mobility problems. After all, it only takes one accident to permanently change your life. Take precautions before they’re proven necessary so you can continue to live independently at home.
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