Many seniors dream of enjoying post-retirement from the comfort of a home they’ve lived in for years. But age can bring physical and cognitive changes that make staying at home a challenge: Eyesight falters, mobility becomes more difficult and memory begins to lapse. All of a sudden, a familiar house can be full of dangers. That’s why it’s critical to perform a professional or self-home safety assessment.
Often, a safety assessment follows a moment of crisis: If there’s a fall or illness, the rehab center or hospital will send an occupational therapist (OT) to recommend changes to the home before the patient is released. But other times, the challenges sneak up more gradually. “By the time you notice… trouble, there may have already been significant cognitive and physical decline,” says Mahlon Stewart, a geriatric clinical specialist and assistant professor of rehabilitation and regenerative medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York.
So, instead of waiting for an accident to happen, take the time now to make sure your or your loved one’s home is a safe haven. Here’s how to prioritize home safety for seniors and how to assess and improve the safety of any space, according to experts.
Home safety tips for seniors and their loved ones
1. Take inventory of potential safety hazards
To start, imagine yourself with various physical or cognitive challenges — poor vision, difficulty with stairs, use of a walker, memory lapses — and walk through the front door, suggests Wendy Wells-Chanampa, a dementia care expert and founder of Senior Resource Consultants, in Naples, Florida. Make a list of any concerns as you walk through the home.
“When assessing a home, the number one concern is to prevent falls, which are the leading cause of fatal injury in Americans over 65.”
— Amanda Lambert, geriatric care manager
2. Remove fall and trip hazards
“When assessing a home, the number one concern is to prevent falls, which are the leading cause of fatal injury in Americans over 65,” says Amanda Lambert, a geriatric care manager in Salt Lake City, Utah, and co-author of “Aging with Care: Your Guide to Hiring and Managing Caregivers at Home.”
Even everyday items can quickly become fall or trip hazards, so getting rid of clutter and reorganizing spaces is essential to senior home safety. However, it’s important to remember that it can also be emotional. Seniors have lived in their space for a long time and have attachments to the items in their homes, says Stewart. He recommends bringing in outside help to declutter, particularly if you or your loved are having a hard time.
Some potential fall and trip hazards to address include:
- Throw and area rugs.
- Potted plants.
- Piles of shoes and boots.
- Laundry baskets.
- Newspapers and magazines.
- Awkwardly placed furniture, such as ottomans.
Be sure to tack or tape down the corners of any rugs. Additionally, consider adding non-skid treads to stairs or other thresholds.
3. Make the bathroom more accessible
The bathroom can be the most dangerous room in the house. Can the shower be accessed without stepping over the high side of a bathtub? Is there a sturdy grab bar to get up and down from the toilet and into the shower?
“Many people just use the towel rack to hold onto, but they’re designed to hold a few pounds of towels, not 150 pounds of a person.”
—Mahlon Stewart, geriatric clinical specialist and professor
“Many people just use the towel rack to hold onto, but they’re designed to hold a few pounds of towels, not 150 pounds of a person,” says Stewart, who points out that these bars will likely come crashing down if grabbed onto during a fall. “If you’re handy, you can install a grab bar yourself, but if not, you might want to hire someone to do it.”
4. Check kitchen for hazards
An aide who cooks or a senior food-delivery service are great options for seniors, but for seniors who still plan to prepare their own meals, it’s vital to make the kitchen as safe as possible. Some senior home safety adjustments may include:
- Moving frequently used pots, pans, utensils and groceries to lower shelves where they are easily accessible.
- Making sure faucets are clearly marked for hot and cold and installing anti-scald devices.
- Checking that burners and ovens are working properly and have timers that beep loudly.
- Upgrading to a new microwave, as microwaving is safer and easier than cooking with an open flame (and you can fill the freezer with prepared meals that just need to be zapped).
5. Improve lighting
All pathways should be well-lit, especially the route to the bathroom at night, says Stewart. In addition to all rooms, other areas to check for lighting include:
- Outside areas, such as the garage and driveway.
- Near doors.
- In hallways.
- Near entryways.
Inexpensive nightlights placed around the house can be a big help.
6. Purchase senior home safety devices
Not only should every home have working smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors, but you should also assess whether a personal fall detection device and a chair lift on the stairs is needed, says Lambert.
How to find a professional senior home safety assessor
If you feel confident doing the assessment and making necessary modifications on your own, that’s fine, say the experts. But if you want to take it a step further and hire a professional such as an OT or physical therapist (PT) to help, you can contact your Area Agency on Aging for referrals and resources.
Additionally, if you believe there are larger changes that need to be made, consider hiring a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) through the directory page of the National Association of Home Builders.
