As more people are living longer, the rising population of elderly people has grown in the past few years. As of March 2012, there were 75 million baby boomers who neared retirement, as reported by Dave Bernard in U.S. News and World Report.
You need to make sure your grandparents are in good hands even without close supervision. For this reason, elder-proofing your condo is essential to ensure independent living for your older loved ones.
Put an Intercom in the Bedroom
Observe the basic condo safety tips for the elderly. Enable help to be viable for your loved one. Make sure your senior citizen parents have an intercom in their bedroom. Mobilization power is crippled when people reach old age. Equip the elderly to get help in no time in your condo. Let your beloved safely call the condo guard from an intercom while in bed, in case a medical or other similar emergencies strike, in the absence of your presence.
Prioritize Floor Safety, Too
There was a report from Center for Disease Control or CDC indicating that about 33% of adults above 65 years old fall annually. Get rid of throw rugs. Elderly people’s floor safety is at risk when throw rugs are around. Floor rugs bunch over, and are prone to trip them. A two-sided tape does not do any good in firmly tacking down the rugs. Avoid cleaning tile or vinyl floors with wax products to maximize elderly safety in your condo.
Storage Avoids Clutter
Balance the ups and downs of condo retirement living. Elderly people’s vision is not keenly sharp as it used to be. Your grandma may not see an almost invisible thumb tack lying on the floor. Don’t take things for granted. It’s better to be safe, rather than have regrets later on. Place the stuff that clutters your tiny home space in a storage container. You’ll never know if a tiny object can injure your senior citizen family member.
Light Up Automatically
Ensure condo safety for the elderly, once they come home in your condo. Make life easier for them. Use sensor lights in your condo. Some elderly who are severely crippled cognitively fumble in locating the light switch. Lighting up your condo readily for your fragile family prevents avoidable untoward incidents from occurring.
Expand a Bathroom’s Door Space
Condo retirement means going the extra mile than usual to elder-proof your home. Consult a professional architect when modifying the installation of your bathroom door. It is highly encouraged to have your bathroom door open outward. Make condo living enjoyable even to senior citizens who are less mobilized than their peers. Maintain 32” to 36” width in doorway space to accommodate elderly people in wheelchairs and walkers.
Open Up with Door Knobs
Make retirement living uncomplicated. Some elderly people find it difficult to figure out how to open a sliding door handle. In other times, a sliding handle gets stuck when an elderly tries to open it. Your vulnerable family needs to do things the simple way. Let your loved one navigate in your condo without a problem. Opt for easily operated doorknobs at home.
Shower Mats for Extra Protection
Make condo living safe for the elderly while they’re enjoying their shower. Give your granny the independence to take a shower on their own. But, don’t forget to put a shower mat in the bath area. Choose a smooth-feeling shower mat, for your loved one’s convenience. A shower mat avoids trips and falls, without compromising the quality of bath experience for the elderly.
Relax in Comfortable Seats
Elder-proof your condo customized for great bonding moments. Provide your loved one with comfortable seats when they hang around in your living room. Buy seats with sturdy, but soft armrests. Better yet, let your elderly family sit in an electronic recliner to enhance relaxation experience. Prioritize your loved ones’ health, as early as possible. Comfortable seats avoid back and other body pains among older people.
Raise Your Toilet Seat
Retirement signals the onset of weaker bodily conditions. Most elderly people have brittle knees. This makes it difficult for them to use the toilet seat. An uncomfortable toilet seat makes bathroom moments feel like a chore to an elderly. Make things better for your loved one, without taking independence away from them. Install a raised toilet seat for easy use, to avoid having your granny dread moments spent in the bathroom.
Place Medication in a Safe Place
Having a small living space is not an excuse for being careless in safekeeping meds. Put medication in a safe place away for elderly access. Elderly people who are suffering from forgetfulness is at risk of meds overdose. Monitor older people’s intake of medication. Make sure they only take the appropriate amount of a particular medicine, as prescribed by their physician.
Set a Regular Default Water Temperature
One of the most common accidents among the elderly is getting scalded. To protect cognitively impaired elderly from scalding, automatically set the thermostat of the water heater 120 degrees Fahrenheit or below. This is an ideal temperature for an enjoyable shower, without having to worry about accidental hazards.
Condo Space for Exercise
Elderly people need to keep fit, more than anything else! It’s important to maintain a healthy bodily condition as much as possible, especially during old age. Being in great shape maximizes opportunities for older people to live longer. Set a space in your condo that is especially meant for exercise sessions. Make sure the space is free from clutter of all sorts, to avoid accidents among the elderly when exercising.
Balance efficient ways of elder- proofing your condo with a high-quality lifestyle. Your older loved one does not have a long time to live. Make them enjoy living their lives to the best of their satisfaction. Ensure your condo is customized in accordance to the needs of older people.
Most of the time, older individuals need to be taken care of meticulously. Just like how it is at DMCI Homes, elderly people’s welfare should be prioritized before that of your own.
