5 Easy, Inexpensive Ways to Instantly Improve Home Safety for Falls Prevention Awareness Day

Lynn Wilson

by Lynn Wilson, Founder of The CareGiver Partnership

In recognition of Falls Prevention Awareness Day Sept. 22, here are five easy and inexpensive ways to instantly improve safety at home, as well as a link to a free 25-page fall prevention guide.

As the National Council on Aging and other senior organizations across the nation recognize Falls Prevention Awareness Day Sept. 22, safely aging in place is achievable for many seniors. 

Ninety percent of people want to remain in their own homes, where they’re comfortable and have privacy and dignity. Yet, falls or fear of falling are the cause of up to 40 percent of nursing home admissions. The bathroom is one of the most dangerous rooms in the house and where many falls occur. It’s not surprising when you consider bathrooms typically have slippery surfaces and often are used in the middle of the night when lighting is low.

Here are five quick and easy ways to prevent falls by instantly making a home safer:

1. Removal of tripping hazards such as clutter, throw rugs, cords and furniture in pathways. Furniture and cords should be located around a room’s perimeter. If an area rug is necessary, it should be attached to the floor with heavy-duty, double-sided tape.

2. Adding adequate, even lighting throughout the home to avoid shadows. Lighting should be sufficiently bright but not cast glare. Glare can be reduced with frosted bulbs, indirect lighting, lamp shades and partially closed window coverings. Nightlights in bedrooms, bathrooms, halls and stairways can help prevent falls.

3. Installing bathroom safety features — such as grab bars, nonskid mats, bath benches and raised toilet seats — not only helps prevent slips and falls, but also helps a senior with limited mobility move with less pain and strain.

4. Using peel-and-stick color-contrasting strips in the home helps to visually define objects and changes in height. Ideal placement includes stair edges, where walls meet floors, thresholds and floor transitions, and the edges of tubs and showers.

5. A personal health and safety assessment can help reduce risk of falling. An aging-in-place lifestyle typically includes a healthy diet, plenty of vitamin D through sunlight and supplements, weight-bearing exercise on a regular basis, proper-fitting footwear and eyeglasses, limited alcohol use, and being aware of medication side effects.

Learn more about how companies like Stander are helping seniors remain independent and to access hundreds of free articles, resources and a fall prevention guide.

About The CareGiver Partnership. The CareGiver Partnership helps caregivers and their
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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, Wis. Visit http://www.caregiverpartnership.com to learn more or call 1-800-985-1353. Help support this ad-free blog by answering several questions about caregiving here. It will take just two minutes.

Watch this video to learn how Stander helps seniors remain independent.

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