Springtime Aging-in-Place Tips Can Help Seniors Prevent Falls Outdoors

Spring is a good time to assess a home’s safety and make fall-prevention improvements. Aging in place, or remaining safe and comfortable at home at any age, can require modifications, from simple products that make life easier to home improvements necessary to remaining independent.

Every year, one in three adults over age 65 falls, and up to 40 percent of nursing home admissions are due to either falls or fear of falling. As a company dedicated to helping seniors live safely in their homes, fall prevention is an ongoing initiative for us.

A goal of aging in place is to keep a home low-maintenance. Maintenance is often difficult for seniors because of reduced physical flexibility, health problems or lack of funds. Here are some characteristics of a safe, low-maintenance exterior and yard:

• Steps, walkways, driveways and railings in good repair.
• Adequate lighting at all entrances and walkways.
• Textured surfaces and reflective, contrasting paint on step edges.
• Exterior lighting that casts light downward vs. horizontally and is easy to access for bulb changes.
• House numbers that emergency responders can see from the street.
• Low-maintenance landscaping, such as native plants that don’t require extra watering.
• Shrubs that remain compact as they grow, to avoid shadows that cause tripping hazards and to allow easy access to utilities.

The CareGiver Partnership has created “It All Starts With a Fall — Your Guide to Help Prevent Falls.” It helps readers identify and correct fall hazards in their homes and yards, teaches about personal safety tools that can make living at home a success, and offers instructions on what to do if they fall or witness a fall. Get a free copy, along with coupons for fall prevention products.

Further Reading: 
Recognizing Low Vision Awareness Month with Resources for Aging in Place

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About The CareGiver Partnership. The CareGiver Partnership helps caregivers and their loved ones with answers to their caregiving questions, including information about home health care products and supplies, from our Wisconsin-based team of Product Specialists who are all current or former caregivers. The company’s Web site provides the largest online library of resources on subjects most important to caregivers — from arthritis to assisted living, and Parkinson’s to prostate cancer — as well as access to more than 3,000 home care products for incontinence, skin care, mobility, home safety and daily living aids. The CareGiver Partnership was founded in 2004 by Lynn Wilson of Neenah, Wisc. Visithttp://www.caregiverpartnership.com to learn more or call 1-800-985-1353.

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