Senior Safety: How to Make Sure Your Parents Are Safe

As your parents get older, you turn into the parent and start worrying about them day in and day out. Questions like, what are they doing, are they safe and sound, are they eating well, and more, run through your mind daily.

Senior safety is definitely no joke, and the numbers prove it. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that 1 out of every 3 seniors falls every year. Not only that but every 19 minutes, an older adult dies from a fall.

You want to live your own life and let them be independent but you also want to ensure that they stay safe when they are at home and can call for help when needed.

There are many safety tips for the elderly. Read on to see some outlined below.

Remove All Fall Hazards (That’s Always a Priority)

As seen in the stat above, falls are a serious health hazard for seniors. A single fall can completely change the health profile of an elderly person.

Make sure you remove all clutter from the house and avoid using throw rugs (without proper grip) from all bathrooms and bedrooms. Ensure that there’s lots of space for your parents to walk around, with fewer pieces of furniture.

Finally, non-slip footwear is a must.

Ensure a Safe Bathroom

One of the primary places where aging parents might slip, and fall, and hurt themselves, is in the bathroom, especially when they are coming and out of the bathtub or shower. So take a look at their bathroom setup.

Ensure you have non-slip grips for them in the tub or the shower. Use rubber mats in the bathroom and the tub and shower for a stronger grip and prevent slipping.

If possible, change all the bathrooms from bathtubs to walk-in showers instead. Finally, a nightlight in the bathroom and handlebars next to the toilet will be ideal.

Assess the Lighting in All Rooms

If there is a tendency for your aging parents to be hoarders, or to have clutter everywhere, then the probability of them tripping over something and falling increases.

Senior safety can be improved by having proper lighting everywhere in the home. The bathroom has already been mentioned, but the kitchen, bedroom, and the walkway from the garage to the house have to be lit up properly as well.

Keep Emergency Numbers Handy for Them

The main thing to keep in mind is that aging parents might not have their memory intact, so keep all emergency numbers, and your contact numbers handy for them. Put them somewhere they can see it clearly.

Senior Safety Takes a Bit of Prep Work but Ensures Peace of Mind for You

You have a lot on your plate already. But if you can do a bit of prep work, by ticking off all the safety tips above, your mind will be relieved about your aging parents at least.

Senior safety isn’t something anyone wants to worry about. You wish your parents would stay healthy and mobile for a long time to come. But sometimes life doesn’t actually follow our well-laid-out plans.

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