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In Home Safety Tips For Seniors

If you are concerned about the safety of elderly parents or relatives who are living alone, it is understandable. There have been studies that have shown that older people living alone are more likely to suffer fatally from injuries than younger people.

Therefore, the safety of elderly adults should be of concern. Fortunately, we have put together some safety tips for seniors living alone in the article below.

Install Surveillance Cameras

Even if you only live next door or a few streets away, it is unlikely that you can be around them all the time. This is why installing cameras in their home can be helpful if you have elderly safety concerns.

If they have a caregiver other than yourself, having a camera installed can make sure that the individual or people in question are treating them the way they should be. It can also help catch and identify criminals if the worst happens and your loved one is attacked or burgled.

Install A Panic Button

Panic buttons are one of the home safety products, seniors living alone find most helpful. Even if they are never used, the fact that they are there is enough to put your elderly relative at ease as well as giving you a certain peace of mind. It means if they have an accident or need emergency attention and can use the button, emergency services (and yourself) will be alerted.

Protect Them Against Slips and Falls

Of course, it is not just things like intruders or emergency medical situations like heart attacks or breathing issues that you want to be concerned about. Falls and slips become more of a problem as we get older, so it is crucial to take note of some personal safety tips for the elderly.

This could something as relatively simple as ensuring their home is uncluttered and staying on top of maintenance issues such as loose floorboard; or more involved safety measure such as installing handrails in the bathroom and alongside staircases.

Make Fire Safety A Priority

There are some kitchen safety tips for seniors that also need your attention, as the risk of fire-related deaths is twice the national average for people 65 and over and three times that number for people over 75. So, it is crucial that you increase their level of awareness with regards to fire safety and you help them to draw up a plan of action for what to do if a fire occurs. An elderly home safety assessment is always a good idea and you can even enlist the help of the local fire department for advice.

Make Sure There Is Adequate Lighting

Last but by no means least on our elderly home safety checklist is ensuring that there is adequate lighting on the exterior and interior of their home. As accidents can happen to individuals of any age when there is not sufficient lighting, it is even more of a problem with senior citizens. Especially practical are having lights installed that turn on automatically when someone enters the room.

These are great for people with mobility issues, as it means they can just concentrate on using their walker, cane or railing when navigating around the house and don’t need to worry about lights.

There are a lot of concerns when elderly parents or relatives are living alone. Hopefully, though, the above tips have helped to give you some ideas of ways you can make their home safer. It may also be time to consider hiring an in-house caregiver for your elderly parents when you are not able to be there.

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