It’s getting warmer and starting to feel like summertime. When the weather gets nicer we know that more people spend their days outside enjoying nature. Although spring and summer are beautiful, there are some inherent dangers to the outdoors that we have to remember, especially as we age. We’ve put together a list of 5 outdoor safety tips and tricks for the aging adventurer in your life.

1 Decluttering your Sheds and Garages. Decluttering your space is extremely important when trying to prevent many issues, such as cleanliness and tripping hazards. Decluttering can also help prevent the masking of potential critter and bug infestations. It can also reduce the amount of dust that builds up, for cleaner air aiding with allergies. Garages and sheds are great for storage, but if it becomes cluttered, disorganized, or if it’s bursting at the seams, the space no longer is safe and now poses a risk for items falling down and becoming tripping hazards, and making your items unusable because they’re too hard to access.

2 Proper Lighting. As we age, our eyesight deteriorates rapidly, which makes having proper lighting on both the inside and outside of the house extremely necessary. Making sure that your home is properly lit on the outside can help prevent tripping when walking over unstable ground and terrain. There are many different types of lights that you can use on the exterior of your home, but some of the best ones to use are motion sensor lights, path lights, and stair lights, all of which can help make the exterior of your home the best and safest it can be. Some lights are even solar powered so you’ll never have to worry about changing a battery or running electricity from your house to the lights.

3 Outdoor Shade Cover. One of the best things for people of all ages to do for their health is to sit outside and get some fresh air, however as we grow older there are some increased risks for doing so. As we age, we become more susceptible to contracting skin cancer from the sun's harmful UV rays. A good way to enjoy the outdoors while also staying safe from the dangerous UV is to invest in a shade cover. A fabric shade cover can block up to 98% of the sun’s harmful UV rays, along with cooling your patio by up to 20 degrees. There are many other types of covers that can protect your skin from the sun including pergolas, umbrellas, awnings, and canopies. Shade covers can help you get that freedom of enjoying the outdoors again, without putting you at risk for skin cancer.

4 SHS Monitoring Technology. One new feature offered by Seniors Home Services is their Remote Care Monitoring technology. Their Remote Care Monitoring system uses motion detectors, sensors, and AI to detect unusual behaviors in the residents home, without invasive cameras. Behaviors such as inactivity, open doors late at night, and the stove or water being on for too long are all detected through their sensors. All these different sensors paired with the AI software can help notify technicians of potentially hazardous situations. The system helps reduce the risk of falls and allows for quick responses to falls should they happen. This system also includes a necklace that has a button on it in case you run into trouble while outside of your house.

5 Enhance your Outdoor Mobility. Mobility is important for everyone, but its importance grows as you age. Ensuring that you’re able to move freely around your home and yard is an essential part to being able to Age-in-Place. If you utilize mobility devices, such as walkers, canes, or scooters, getting an outdoor ramp and widening your entrance way is extremely important to get around comfortably. Not only is being comfortable extremely important, but the safety that these ramps provide is extremely important for everyone using them. Ramps provide that extra mobility for people who need it the most.

TruBlue offers services such as ramp installations and doorway widening, which can help make mobility much safer. To help with clutter, we have our maid service, which allows for customizable options as far as scheduling and what work you need done. Installation of Outdoor Shade Covers can also be done by our TruBlue Tru-Pro home technicians. TruBlue technicians can also install external motion detectable lights that can help make sure you get where you need to be in the dark. Lastly, since TruBlue is partnered with Handyman Services for Seniors we can help get the Remote Care Monitoring system up and running.