By If you have other friends or family members that you love, the most important thing to you is going to be ensuring that your loved ones are safe. If they are in an assisted living facility, you’ll know that they are getting helped with the care they need. But if they are living on their own, it’s natural to worry about their wellbeing and how safe they really are.
Regardless of how healthy your loved one might be, if they are living in a home that isn’t well suited for them, it can be very easy for them to get hurt or worse. So to help you decide if you need to step in, here are three signs that a residence is unsafe for the elderly person you love.
Limited Access Around The Home
As people get older, they may need some help getting around their home and property. Usually, having a walker or wheelchair can be great for this. But if your loved one can’t use these medical devices in their home without having issues with accessibility, you might need to help them come up with some other solutions.
One of the biggest signs that this might be an issue in the future is if there are multiple levels or steps in a home. If your loved one has to go up or down stairs to get into their house, this could present a problem for them. Also, if the doorways or halls in their home are particularly narrow, it could be hard for them to get around, too.
Slip, Trip, And Fall Hazards
Another thing you’ll want to keep an eye out for when checking the safety of your loved one’s house is if there are slip, trip, or fall hazards.
While it’s possible to slip, trip, or fall on almost anything, there are certain things that can pose a greater risk. Having a home that’s very cluttered, has a lot of changing flooring throughout the home, or that has pets underfoot can increase the chances of your loved one having a fall at home. So if you can, try to limit these things in their house.
A High Level Of Care Required For The Home
Although your loved one might have loved how taking care of their home kept them busy when they first got into retirement, as their body and mind start to age more, having a home that requires a lot of maintenance can be a real burden.
Not only can finding the energy to take care of a home and property be hard for the elderly, but if doing so is what makes the house safe for them, like they need to shovel snow off of their walkway during the winter to avoid slipping on ice, then that home might not longer be a safe place for them to live.
If you’re beginning to wonder if your loved one should be living in their home alone anymore, consider how the tips mentioned above can help you notice safety hazards that should be addressed.
