Aging in Place - Tools for a Safer Living Environment

Falls are a fact.  But they can be prevented.  Read how.

When you are young and healthy, you take many things for granted. By the time we move into out senior years, suddenly climbing a set of stairs is extremely difficult and falls in the bathroom can happen in less than a second. 
Aging is part of life and we need to take the time to make our home safe to live in for ourselves or to make our homes safe for our parents to live in. This article will discuss some senior’s home safety tips you can use to keep yourself or your parents safe.

For those hard of hearing

Specialty Phones

Our hearing begins to diminish as we age. Purchasing a phone that amplifies the earpiece will make it much easier to hear and carry on a normal conversation with your friends and loved ones.

This phone is a great option because it also includes a wireless pendant with an emergency button you can push if you fall and cannot get to the phone. You have the option to store up to 30 different emergency phone numbers and when you press the button, it will automatically call the first person on the list and play a message to them. If you are close, the person may be able to hear you talking on the speakerphone. This is a wonderful safety feature every senior needs to have to stay safe in their home.

Arthritis pain

As we reach our senior years, pain in the joints can be extremely uncomfortable. Twisting lids off medications can be difficult as the pain in your wrists will not allow you to push and turn or to even pop the lid off. Carpal tunnel syndrome is quite common for elderly individuals as it causes numbness in the fingers and it makes it next to impossible to do much with your hands.  There are products can help any seniors living at home that need help twisting, pulling, and removing lids.  Glasses can be quite useful as well to read to bottles. The OpenIT RX bottle opener also includes a magnifying glass so you can read what your prescription bottle says.

If you are suffering from arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome, you should purchase some wrist splints and wear them often. Wrist splints help to align the nerves and veins, allowing for proper circulation to the hands. Wear the wrist splints at night and even during the day to reduce numbness and pain in the hands.

Railings and support bars

Slips and falls in your home can lead to broken hips and terrible problems. Make your home safe by adding railings in the hallways and other narrow areas and then add support bars to the bathtub and by the toilet. Support bars will allow you to get up and down easier as you can use your arms to help out instead of relying only on your legs to life you up.

Reaching

Reach for anything up high without pulling muscles

Since we have learned how to be independent, it can be challenging to let go of a part of our independence and admit we need help. Reaching for cups and other things that may be up high can cause you to stretch and pull your muscles and you may find that without a stool, you will be unable to reach objects that are up high. Using a reaching tool, is a great idea because you don’t have to completely re-arrange your home to fit your aging lifestyle. Instead you can use this tool to reach objects like cups that are up high.

It is also helpful to grab items off the floor so you don’t have to bend over to pick them up. It’s lightweight so you can take it with you anywhere you go and it only costs $19.99.

Call us.  We're here to help.

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. Visit http://www.caregiverpartnership.com to learn more or call 1-800-985-1353.

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