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TruBlue of West Houston
2022-02-24
Top 5 Potential Safety Hazards in your Home

Senior walk on crutches in bedroom with wheelchair

As you age, your home becomes more hazardous. Harmless looking throw rugs become tripping hazards. Showering and bathing becomes a large slipping risk. The threat that falls have on your body as you age will skyrocket. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Our Senior Home Assessment professionals will identify potential hazards and propose solutions that will allow our aging population to stay living where they love. Below are five potential hazards in your home that a Senior Home Safety Assessment can identify.

Slipping in the Bathroom. Falls are responsible for seriously injuring millions of people each year. Of that number in 2019, falls in adults over 65 years old, caused 34,000 deaths. Falls were also the leading cause of injury for this age group making it no joke. The risk for falls increases dramatically in the bathroom due to extra water and slick surfaces. Our Senior Home Safety Specialists can identify key areas in your bathroom that could benefit from a modification. This could include a grab bar in the shower or near the toilet, installing a bench or non-slip mat in the shower, and even installing a curbless shower or walk-in tub for easy entry. To read more about bathroom safety installations TruBlue can perform check out THIS ARTICLE.

Throw Rugs and other Tripping Hazards. That cute rug might bring the room together, but it might also become a dangerous tripping hazard and mobility barrier. To minimize the risk of tripping on rugs, consider taking them out of your home or securing them to the floor with rug tape. Other tripping hazards in the home can be extension cords and power cables. In this case, see if you can secure them to the floor or wall with coil or tape cords. If needed, have an electrician install a better placed outlet.

Stairsteps and staircases. Look at the stairs both inside and outside of your home. Are they even and flat? If they are carpeted, is the carpet torn, ripped, or loose? Are the handrails securely attached to the wall? If they are in less than perfect condition, take the time to repair the broken step and even them out. This will help prevent missteps or slips while climbing or descending stairs.

Look at the lighting. Is the home adequately lit? Dim lighting can change the depth perception in your vision. Ensuring that the home is nice and bright will make maneuvering through it easier as eyesight tends to deteriorate the older you get. Putting night lights up can also help illuminate various pathways during the evening time.

Kitchen Organization. Where you choose to put your pots and pans may seem harmless, but it can actually make a big difference in reducing accidents. Put the things that you move most often in places that it’s easiest to get to. Consider putting your pots and pans on the lowest shelf in the upper cabinets so you don’t have to bend when you grab them. Try to keep most things waist level and if you have to use a step stool, ensure you have one with a grab bar. Never use a kitchen chair as a stepping stool.

TruBlue can help you identify these areas and more with our 75-point Senior Home Assessment. Any home safety modification recommendations that we make can be performed by a licensed TruBlue TruPro.

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