5 Items to Ban from Your Elderly Parent’s Home

5 Items to Ban from Your Elderly Parent's Home to Keep Them Safe

5 Items to Ban from Your Elderly Parent’s Home to Keep Them Safe

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According to Senior Living, approximately 47 million seniors live in the United States, and of those, only about 3.1 percent live in nursing homes. Wow! That’s a whole lot of seniors living alone. Good for them! Being independent is important for you and me, and doubly so for people over 65.

My mother is 81 and lives in an assisted living apartment. She has aphasia, which is the inability to communicate. How very frustrating for her, and me. Simple words are hard for her to think of, but eventually, we find it. Often we have to come at the word sideways, and at times it can be silly moments—we once got to laughing over the snack Fiddle Faddle because she said it was magic, while other times, it can bring her to tears. So much has been taken away from her that I want to give her as much freedom as I can while keeping her safe.

Let’s take a look at five, although this list could be expanded, items to ban from your elderly parent’s home.

Five Items to Ban from Your Elderly Parent’s Home To Keep Them Safe

1. Rugs or Tripping Hazards

Trip and falls are the leading cause of fatal injury in people over 65. In 2016 alone, fall injuries totaled $50 billion, that’s a billion with a B, of that Medicare/Medicaid bear 75% of the costs.

Do a sweep of their home. Remove all area rugs, extension cords, floor pillows, newspapers, anything that would cause them to trip.

Also, it would be a good idea to check their shoes, can they tie them? Are they fitting properly?

This is a great article on Why Older People Fall & How to Reduce Fall Risk. You might want to check this out if your loved one keeps stumbling.

2. Space Heaters

The elderly’s bodies can’t regulate heat like they used to, in the winter they are often colder. After a visit to my in-laws, who like to live in a sauna, I’ll sit in my car with the air full blast trying to dry my arm-pits, happy that my deodorant is working.

25,000 homes catch fire yearly caused by space heaters and more than 300 deaths. Instead of a space heater, turn up the home thermostat, plus those cords can pose a risk.

This brings up another point, make sure they have working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors throughout the home. Aging reduces the sense of taste and smell and their nose might not alert them until it’s too late. Check their batteries yearly.

The elderly’s bodies can’t regulate heat like they used to, in the winter they are often colder. After a visit to my in-laws, who like to live in a sauna, I’ll sit in my car with the air full blast trying to dry my arm-pits, happy that my deodorant is working.

25,000 homes catch fire yearly caused by space heaters and more than 300 deaths. Instead of a space heater, turn up the home thermostat, plus those cords can pose a risk.

This brings up another point, make sure they have working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors throughout the home. Aging reduces the sense of taste and smell and their nose might not alert them until it’s too late. Check their batteries yearly.

3. Low Lighting

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Significantly more light is needed for seniors in part because of the aging eye and because they are home more. Add nightlights, task lighting, put in motion sensor lighting to activate when they step into the room, and leave a light on in the bathroom, all these things will help them to see more clearly hopefully eliminating falls.

This article from Daily Caring has some fabulous ideas on helping your senior with lighting.

4. Expired Medication

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As your senior ages, they often need help with medication. My mom does. I remember when she arrived at my home with a duffle bag full of pills, many of it expired while some were no longer needed. We showed up to her doctor’s visit with pills in hand, and the nurses thankfully helped me discard all the expired medication. It was a lot.

Your parent or senior might be managing their medication just fine, but still, it would be a good idea to go through their medicine cabinet with them discarding all old medication. Many communities have a drug-take-back-site, be sure to take advantage of this. Also, have your senior write down their medications and dosage. This will be important if you ever wind up in an ER or hospital. Believe me, it’s much easier to get this when they are well than when they aren’t.

5. Tubs and Slippery Surfaces

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The most dangerous room in the house is the bathroom. In fact, 31% of head injuries come from this slippery room.

Now, we can’t ban the bathroom but we can protect the aged from slipping and falling. Add: handrails, motion sensor lighting, swap out the tub for a walk-in shower preferable one with a seat, encourage your senior to towel off while sitting, place a non-slip mat in the shower, install a raised toilet seat, make sure soaps and shampoos are off the floor.

This article from Up Lifting Mobility has a lot of useful, valuable advice for the bathroom.

Conclusion: Be Proactive with Your Senior’s Safety

While we’d like to stop aging, a pill or magic wand hasn’t been invited yet, but that doesn’t mean we can’t proactively keep our seniors safe.

Walk through their home and look for signs of danger. Put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself questions: Is this a tripping hazard? Is the tub too high to step over? Do they still take this medication? Can they manage their medication? Is the bathroom lit enough to see at 2 am?

By proactively checking for safety now, we will save them from a possible trip to the ER later.

Now go check your parent’s home. Keep those seniors with us and safe as long as possible.

Some other useful articles for keeping loved ones safe:

Do It Yourself: Safety Tips for Senior Citizens

A Guide to Helping Senior Citizens Stay Safe at Home

Home Safety Tips for Older Adults