10 Ways to Fall Proof Your Elderly Parent’s Living Space

Aging at home is the most ideal place to live and grow older but is it safe? As we get older our vision and mobility weaken, negatively impacting balance and coordination. A decline in health can put an elderly individual at high risk of slips and falls resulting in injuries. The home that once made a senior feel comfortable and safe is now a danger zone if left ignored. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• One in four Americans aged 65+ falls each year.
• Every 11 seconds, an older adult is treated in the emergency room for a fall; every 19 minutes, an older person dies from a fall.
• Falls are the leading cause of fatal injury and the most common cause of nonfatal trauma-related hospital admissions among older adults.
• Falls result in more than 2.8 million injuries treated in emergency departments annually, including over 800,000 hospitalizations and more than 27,000 deaths.
• In 2015, the total cost of fall injuries was $50 billion. Medicare and Medicaid shouldered 75% of these costs.
• The financial toll for older adult falls is expected to increase as the population ages and may reach more than $67.7 billion by 2022.

Here are 10 ways to fall-proof your elderly parent’s living space to decrease falls and injuries:

1. Install easy-to-grab railings throughout the home.
2. Remove slippery carpets or flooring and replace them with a non-slip option.
3. Ramps should be installed for seniors in wheelchairs.
4. Remove big bulky furniture that limits a senior from navigating through their home.
5. Remove sharp, fragile, delicate objects such as figurines and sculptures which can fall, shatter, and cause cuts.
6. Keep what your elderly parent uses the most at waist level, so they do not have to reach up or use a stool.
7. Block out areas of the home that is no longer being used or not deemed safe for an elderly person.
8. Install cameras inside the home so you can see your elderly parent throughout the day.
9. Get them an elderly-friendly phone, medical alert device, or fall detection device linked to your phone and emergency response.
10. Hire a professional elderly caregiver from a local reputable company that will make your elderly parent’s health, wellness, and safety priority, so you do not have to worry about them falling and getting injured.

If you are searching for a caring, trustworthy, professional senior home caregiver in the Northern Virginia area, please contact Safe and Secure Transition Home Care at 703-539-0411 or Click the Image Below:

Our home care agency is a home care provider in northern Virginia providing home care in Falls Church, Alexandria, Arlington, Burke, Springfield, Fairfax, Vienna and McLean

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