Safety
Rest easy knowing your loved one’s home is safe
Nearly one third of all individuals over the age of 65 fall each year, and that figure increases to 50% by age 80. For seniors, most accidents involve falls in and around the home. As our loved ones age, safety is a top concern for family members or friends.
To assist you in identifying potential safety hazards in your loved one’s home, pay attention to these Home Safety instructions:
- Floors should not be too highly polished and slippery
- Light switches should be easy to find
- Carpeting on stairs needs to be secure
- Store all medicines in a safe place and make sure that the senior can read the labels
- Make sure that there are no worn edges to carpets or cords to trip over
- Passages and stairways should be well lit
- Make sure handrails are well anchored on both sides of the stairway
- Arrange furniture so that pathways are not cluttered
- In the bathtub, install skid-resistant strips or a rubber mat
- Use a bath seat if it is difficult to stand during a shower or too difficult to get up out of the tub
- Install grab bars on the side of the tub or shower for balance
- Use an elevated toilet seat or commode if a senior needs support getting on and off the toilet or if they are not able to bend their hip normally after surgery
- Install grab bars around the toilet if they need more leverage to get off the toilet
- Mark "ON" and "OFF" positions clearly on the dials on the stove
- Keep baking soda near the stove to extinguish small cooking fires, and keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen if possible
- Make sure the sleeves of the senior’s clothing are not loose or dangling while cooking
- Home security – pay attention to the security both inside and outside of one’s home
If you’re concerned about any safety issues in your loved one’s living environment, give us a call. We can help guide and assist you with any safety concerns you may have.
Client Testimonials
We searched for someone to help my 90-year-old aunt, and we were lucky enough to find Hannah’s Home Care, run by Maria Walton. Right from the start, I knew we had made a good choice. Maria and her great staff of trained employees made everything easier for my aunt. They took care of everything, from cooking her meals, keeping the apartment sparkling clean, to helping her with her daily bathing and dressing. Besides all this physical help, they were all really great people, and provided Esther with companionship and a window to the outside world. In every way they were always loving and caring in the help they provided.
Two of the staff members, Denise and Tanya, will always remain in my memory. They cared for Esther as if she was their own family member. Tanya really bonded with my aunt, and they would have long talks about their love of chocolate and animals.
In conclusion, I will never forget and will always be grateful for the wonderful help and service that Maria and the other staff provided for my Aunt Esther.
Eric M.