Making Home Safe for Aging in Place

As a Health Tech entrepreneur who is also a sandwich generation mom, I understand the challenges and complexities that come with balancing a career, raising a curious teenager, and caring for my aging parents who have distinctively different healthcare needs.?I’m not alone. More and more, my peers are asking me for advice as they take on increasing responsibilities of caring for their own parents at home or remotely. One important facet of supporting our parents is recognizing and respecting their desire to stay safe and live independently in their own home.

Some studies show that up to 90% of aging adults prefer to age-in place for as long as possible. Our parents have strong emotional attachments to their homes and prefer to maintain their routines in familiar surroundings. In fact, living at home can contribute to their overall well-being and extended their independence. However, when we consider independent living for someone who may be at risk of falling or someone living with dementia or Alzheimer's disease, ensuring a safe environment becomes crucial.?

Here are seven tips to begin to make a home safe for someone living with cognitive decline, mobility, balance or similar challenges.?

1. Remove obstacles and create clear pathways: Declutter the living areas by removing unnecessary furniture, loose rugs, and objects that may cause trips or falls. Ensure that there are clear pathways throughout the house to allow safe movement.
2. Install handrails and grab bars: Install safety bars in key areas including bathroom, stairwells, and in the hallways to provide additional support and stability. There are wonderful advances in home decor and design to make these safety features elegant and non-stigmatic. Ensure all handrails are securely mounted.
3. Improve lighting: Adequate lighting is essential to prevent falls and confusion. Install bright, non-glare lighting in hallways, staircases, and other areas where you spend time. Consider painting dark hallways and bathrooms with lighter colors. Nightlights in the bedroom, hallways and bathrooms can also be helpful.
4. Secure stairways: If there are stairs in the home, consider installing safety gates at the top and bottom to prevent accidental falls. Ensure that the stairs are well-lit and have contrasting colored tape or strips on the edges to help with depth perception.
5. Remove or lock away hazardous materials. Install childproof locks on cabinets containing harmful substances, such as cleaning supplies and medications. Ditch any medication that is expired.?
6. Enhance bathroom safety: Bathrooms can be particularly hazardous areas. Install grab bars near the toilet and shower. Consider installing a curbless shower for easy access with both an attached shower head and a handheld shower spray.?Installing a secured bench or stable seat in the shower extends independence.? Use non-slip mats everywhere, and consider installing a raised toilet seat to reduce the risk of falls. Also, regulate the water heater temperature and clearly mark temperature controls to prevent scalding.
7. Embrace Technology: Use smart watches to track location and for fall detection. The Apple watch has a host of features for seniors. When it detects a hard fall, it displays a message that they can dismiss if all is well. If the message isn’t dismissed and the watch doesn’t sense any motion within 60 seconds, it will immediately call emergency services and emergency contacts, and can share the person’s location coordinates. There is also an Emergency SOS that lets them quickly call 911 and additional health features.

It’s important for my parents that their house continue to feel like a home and not a medical institution. The good news is that there are elegantly designed solutions for home safety and it doesn’t have to be expensive. A few years ago a Singapore design firm created an IKEA-like design catalog for dementia-home-design called Hack Care.

If you are going through this process with your family, remember to regularly communicate with your parents; involving them in decision-making, and respecting their autonomy are essential for this process and boosts their emotional well-being. By creating a safe environment, you can provide them with the opportunity to maintain their independence and age in place while giving you a bit of peace of mind that you’re helping to minimize potential risks associated with aging.

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