One might think home is the safest place where you can be. However, if you are not cautious, many hazards or accidents can occur at home, especially to senior or older adults.
So, if you are taking care of older people in your home or you are an older person, here are seven home safety tips that you should know to keep yourself safe.
Top 7 Home Safety Tips for Seniors
Keep emergency numbers saved in your phone
You can never predict or guess what might happen the very next moment, and accidents or hazards don’t come knocking at your door. So you should always be prepared for what to do and who to talk to when these situations occur.
So for that, you should save some emergency numbers just in case something bad happens. You can keep a record of these numbers in your mobile contact or note them down and keep it in a reachable place.
Some of the emergency numbers that you should keep a record of are:
- 100 – Police
- 101 – Fire Brigade
- 102 – Ambulance
- 103 – Traffic Police
- 104 – Children Search Coordination Centre
- 105 – Nepali Army-Kathmandu
- 106 – Military Police
Watch eating habits and diet
When we start getting older, our metabolism starts to weaken. So, when older adults eat unhealthy foods like junk foods or overly spicy foods, they can suffer from different digestive problems.
Therefore, you should always watch the diet of an elderly person. Make sure that the things they eat have the right amount of nutrition and a balanced diet. It’s better if you create a schedule for their eating habit.
Prevent falling, slipping, or tripping
Tell your elderly ones to never rush to do anything like picking up a ringing phone. Make sure that they are watching their steps while walking. Instead of holding onto walls or furniture, buy them a walking cane or a cane.
When walking on smooth or slippery floors, tell them to wear non-slip footwear, such as rubber slippers. Immediately clean the stuff such as food, water, etc., that falls on the floor.
Safety-proof the home
We usually safety-proof our house for our kids or toddlers. However, we also need to take some measures to safety-proof the house for our elderly ones.
You can take measures like making sure that the lights in the home are working and well-lit. You should install additional bulbs or lamps on the stairs and along the corridors.
When going up and down the staircase, make sure they are using rails and handrails. Also, avoid placing rugs at the top or bottom of the staircase.
Prevent slipping on bathroom or similar bathroom hazards
Keep the water heater’s temperature below 120 degrees Fahrenheit in the bathroom to avoid scalding. When your elderly family members have difficulty getting on and off the toilet, get them a tub chair or bench or a raised toilet seat.
To avoid slipping in the bathroom, use rubber mats and non-slippery floorings like Engineered hardwood, Natural stone tiles, Bamboo or cork flooring, Linoleum or Rubber flooring.
Take caution while using electrical appliances
Ensure that elderly people know how to use electrical appliances like TV, electric heaters, fans, AC, light switches, and other similar things. If they don’t know how to use them, then teach them properly.
To prevent getting an electrical shock, tell them to be careful when turning on or off any electrical appliance. If you think they don’t need an electrical appliance, keep them far away from their reach.
Fire Safety Tips
- If there is a fire in the house, immediately call 101. Don’t try to put it off by yourself.
- Install fire and smoke detectors in every room.
- Make sure that the “Incense, Candles and Diyos” that you light in the worshipping room are far from stuff that catches fire.
- Ban smoking in the house.
- Repair all the faulty electrical appliances and make sure they are turned off when not in use.
- Take extra precautions while cooking. Do not leave the kitchen with the turned-on stove, and make sure to check the gas leaks.
Conclusion
So, these are the top seven safety tips for seniors that you can apply in your home right now to protect your elderly ones and prevent any sort of accidents or hazards from occurring.
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