disability mobility aids

Retrofitting A Home For Easier Living and Safety:.

Here Are A few Suggestions For Keeping the Elderly and Physically Challenged People in Their Homes Longer:

It’s a fact of life that as we age, we lose some of our ability to function as readily and capably as we once did only a few years ago. That is not so unusual, but simply a part of life we call aging. However, if we are in relatively good health, there are a few things we can do, or have done to make our lives easier. Some suggestions are common sense fixes with little investment, while others may involve a few dollars. Remember, the idea is to make your life easier.

First the “no brainer”, common sense obvious fixes we classify as “Arrangements” that help make life easier. The idea behind “arrangements” is simple: to put or arrange your most used items close and logically positioned to you so that you don’t require unreasonable reaching, climbing or extensive stretching to get access to those items you need more frequently.

The Bedroom

• Underwear, socks should all be placed in drawers close to your bed and easily accessible to first thing in the morning.. There is no reason why you have to walk across or out of your room to get to those basics.

• If you use a walker or cane, make room for it as close to your bed as possible so it is at your fingertips when you arise. So far no money spent.

Bathroom

• If you are like most people, your first steps out of bed will be into the bathroom. If you have room to maneuver your walker around, that’s perfect. Use it and prevent falls.

• Your toilet may serve you better if it is one built higher than \ standard units. It will be easier for anyone with a mobility issue or other handicap to sit on or pull himself up from. Also, If possible, install grab bars on side walls to help a person lift himself, stand and and transfer to his walker.

• Showers and/or bathtubs are accident prone areas for a person with mobility problems. It is absolutely critical for safety bars to be installed along shower and bath side-walls to prevent slips and falls .The perfect situation is a shower area with a barrier free access. That would require replacing the tub with a flat floor that would allows easy step in with no barriers. If that’s not possible, a safety rail should be installed on the tub’s sidewall that will allow a safe grip rail device for anyone entering the tub.

• Shower and tub floors should have non skid strips installed and

• handicapped shower seat should be placed inside the stall for obvious reasons.

• The shower should be equipped with a hand held shower head

• Towel rack should be placed within easy reach of the bather.

• Remove throw rugs. They can easily trip someone with mobility issues or drop foot. A bad fall, especially on a tile floor can result in a broken hip, concussion or worse.

Whole House Safety Walk Through

• Walk through the entire house with your spouse or caretaker and try to identify potential danger zones.

• Learn to depend on you walker, unless your doctor has given you other instructions..

• Make sure that you have enough space between furniture in your walking path to allow you to pass through without getting hung up on a table, couch, chair. It may require some re arranging, but the results will leave you less liable to trip and fall.

Kitchens

• Kitchens should be uncluttered and utensils, cookware, glasses, china ,silverr and items you use more frequently while preparing meals. rearrange them so that they are functional. Remember, you are still part of a family and families spend a lot of their time together in the kitchen.

Stairways

• Stairways should be clear of clutter and be equipped with sturdy handrails. If the bedrooms are upstairs, it might be possible to install a step-climbing device to help get a handicapped person maneuver up and down the stairs. They are available for almost any configuration and are less expensive then you might expect.

We’ve covered the main safety and convenience points of a home, but there are a couple more areas that can be made safer. Most homes have a few steps in their garage and entrance ways that need attention. It would be a shame if you were able to maneuver safely through your home, then take a tumble coming into it from the outside. Add handicap rails and or a ramp to make a grand safe entrance and exit to and from your home

AARP offers a free “Home Fit Guide” that offers hints and great ideas about preparing your home. visit aarp.org/home