Trips and falls in the home are one of the main causes of accidents, especially if you are over the age of 65. It’s expected that 30% of people over the age of 65 will fall in their home this year, and falls to this age demographic can have a devastating effect.
A fall can result in broken bones, bruises, concussions and sadly deaths. In this blog post, we will take a look at some of the best ways to minimise trips and falls in the home.
Find and remove trip hazards
A trip hazard can be something as simple as clutter in the home laying on the ground or having a loose fitted carpet. A trip hazard can be anything you could potentially trip or fall over so take your time and go through every possible hazard that you can see in your home.
Go through room by room if that helps you and look out for loose fitted carpets, uneven flooring, gaps in flooring, loose tiles, slippery tiles, rugs that ruffle up, wires hanging out on the floor and anything else you can think of.
When you have a list of these trip hazards you can then give this list to a handyman or someone in your family and have them help you to fix them.
Install better fixtures and fittings
The fixtures and fittings around your home can have a big role to play in keeping you safe as you age or become less mobile. In the bathroom, for example, you can install grab rails which can keep you safe when going to the toilet or having a bath or shower.
Specialist equipment can also be invested in, special showers or walk-in-bathtubs can help with getting into and out of the bath or shower which will minimise the risk of falling down.
You can also use items such as sticky shower mats but they can be dangerous as they can still slip and also bunch up causing you to fall.
Grab rails can be installed on the stairs so you have more support when going up the stairs but if you get to the point where going up the stairs is difficult you may want to consider investing in a stairlift which can help going up the stairs a little easier.
Changing homes
No one wants to change homes as they grow older as quite often the home they live in has been their family home for years. If you are finding it difficult to live at your current home though you could consider moving into a bungalow or something similar as it can be safer than having to navigate the stairs.
If changing home isn’t an option for you, you can also consider living on one level of your home. Living on one level will require adjusting your home but for some people, it’s a better option than moving.
Have an emergency plan
Even with all of the changes above accidents can still happen and when they do you will want to be prepared. Having access to a mobile phone, or having a landline installed on the different levels of your home is a good start. You should also have a list of your emergency numbers by the phones too. Having phones around the house is a good start but in an accident, you may not think straight or may not be able to move at all.
More serious accidents can leave a person in a high level of pain and getting to a phone can be difficult. In these situations, a fall alarm can be very useful and can save your life. Fall alarms aren’t expensive and could save your life.
Getting old is a privilege and living a happy and healthy life while retaining your independence is possible with the tips above.
Image: Unsplash
