When you're an older adult, home accessibility is a top concern. Unfortunately, as we age, it becomes more challenging to navigate our homes and complete everyday tasks. According to the CDC, two in five adults over the age of 65 experience a limitation in their mobility.
There are many ways to make your home safer and easier to navigate as an older adult. Here are 10 low-cost solutions that will improve home accessibility for seniors.
Build a Ramp
Navigating stairs can become much more difficult as people age. Installing a ramp where stairs lead to the house can make it much easier for aging parents to manage on their own. This doesn't have to be an expensive project. You can purchase folding or portable ramps that are inexpensive and can even be moved out of the way if needed. You can also build a ramp out of a few pieces of lumber. It is important to note that you may need a permit to add a permanent ramp.
Install Automatic Door Openers
For adults with arthritis or vision loss, automatic door openers can be a very helpful addition to the home. You can purchase simple push-button openers, touchless keypads, or even motion-operated openers. These can be just for the exterior doors or for all the doors in the home, depending on your loved one's needs.
Add Grab Bars
Grab bars offer additional support in places like the shower, bathtub, and toilet. Seniors can grab them if they start to slip or fall, hold on to them to ease fatigue when standing, maintain balance, or hold some of their weight when they need to maneuver, such as moving from a wheelchair to the toilet. They can also help with getting back on their feet if your aging parent does fall and isn't injured.
Install a Toilet Riser
Bodily functions don't stop as a person ages, but a toilet that sits too low to the ground can make those functions more difficult. Installing a toilet riser can make it easier for an older adult to sit down on the toilet and to stand back up when they're done. Risers can be purchased at most hardware stores and are often easily installed with either very simple or no tools required.
Lower Closet Rods
Even if someone isn't in a wheelchair, the mobility and flexibility to lift their arms to hang clothes may be limited. Lowering the closet rod even just a few inches can make it much easier for them to hang their clothes up and take them down. This may also be important if they struggle to open dresser drawers. By lowering the closet rod, they can hang all of their clothing and not need to bother with a dresser.
Install Grippy Mats
Bath mats to soak up water after a shower or bath and small rugs in front of a bathroom or kitchen sink can both cause a slip and fall. Swap out the conventional mats and rugs for grippy mats that stick to the floor. This prevents the mat from moving and reduces the chance that your loved one will fall.
Replace Door and Faucet Handles
Arthritis and a simple loss of strength can make turning doorknobs and knob-like faucet handles difficult for seniors. Swap these with lever-style door handles and faucet handles. This will allow your parent to easily open and close doors or turn faucets on and off.
Install a Toilet Safety Frame
Even if you've installed a toilet riser, sitting on and standing up from the toilet can be difficult. As many people age, they begin to have trouble with balance and lose strength. A toilet safety frame adds handles that can be used to push up when standing and can also provide extra security against falling both while sitting on the toilet and while standing.
Widen Doorways
Wheelchairs, walkers, and canes all help keep people mobile. They also require a little extra space for maneuvering, however. This can be a real problem when it comes to many of the doorways in most homes. Wheelchairs often don't fit through the doors. Walkers might need to be angled to fit through and this can make the user more unsteady, defeating the purpose of the walker. This can be resolved by widening the doorways. This can be done in a few inexpensive ways:
- Removing the door and leaving just the opening
- Installing swing-away hinges
- Reversing the way the door swings
- Removing some of the woodwork surrounding the door frame
Install a Stairlift
Many people try to persuade a loved one to sell their two-story home and move into a one-story home or apartment as they begin to age. If your loved one refuses to leave their two-story home and must go upstairs, a stairlift can make this much easier for them. Whether they're in a wheelchair, use a walker, or simply get fatigued from climbing up and down the stairs, a stairlift will allow them to make the trip without expending much energy at all.
Are You Aware of All the Safety Risks?
These are some of the more obvious dangers and how to resolve them. But there can be many hidden safety risks and areas of concern throughout the home that go unnoticed. Senior Helpers Overland Park offers a free LIFE profile assessment that can assist you in uncovering these risks and concerns so that you can remedy them and feel confident that your loved one is as safe as they can be in their home. Contact us today to schedule your assessment.