It is obvious that as one ages, their bodies are unable to maintain the physical fitness they enjoyed during their younger years.

Although it has also been proven that some elderly manage to retain their alertness and grace by doing exercises that promote stamina, most eventually develop certain conditions or illnesses over time.

They may find that one or more of their five senses begin to fail, and can eventually lead to the risk of injury.

For example, the deterioration of sight and hearing can result in the inability to see or hear hazard warnings as clearly as before, and eventually leave an elderly person vulnerable to danger.

Therefore, it is important to ensure your loved one lives in a hazard-free environment that is comfortable.

Since most elderly persons prefer to stay in their respective homes, this area becomes the ideal environment to begin safety regulations.

Even though they may be aware of where their belongings are stored, accidents can happen in the home due to clumsiness or letting their guard down at potential household hazards.

• Fall-proof bathrooms

Installing grab bars or handrails in the bathrooms can help prevent falls from water slips or in case of sudden drowsiness.

Besides that, wall-mounted shower heads can be replaced with handheld shower heads on a hose as a safer measure.

This helps prevent water from suddenly splashing onto their heads which could result in giving them a severe shock. Even if they are able to monitor the water flow by continuously looking up, water may splash directly into their eyes upon turning on the shower.

• Fall-proof flooring

The floors of their homes should not be slick or slippery during times when they may want to walk around or do their daily activities.

If the floors must be waxed, polished or mopped, the elderly in the home should be notified to prevent them from walking around too much.

Rugs or mats that may tangle the feet or have a low frictional force against the floor should also be disposed of.

Contrasting coloured mats should be used to aid them in differentiating areas to step on. For example, white mats on a black or brown parquet floor.

Extension cords and other potential tripping hazards that may present themselves on the floor should also be kept away safely.

• Lighting

The house should be well illuminated in order to aid their vision as their sight deteriorates with age. However, this does not necessarily mean changing the entire house into a light shop or becoming the brightest house in the neighbourhood.

Instead, conduct regular checks and maintenance to ensure that all house lights are functioning well. Adding more lights in areas that your loved ones frequent can also help.

For example, if they enjoy sewing then enhance the lighting in the sewing room or areas in the house where they read or do crossword puzzles.

This may be done by also observing your love one’s walking habits so you know which areas they directly or indirectly pass through often while at home.

Another more innovative approach is by installing wireless LED lights that detect motion as you pass through different parts of the house.

Although some may say adding more lighting to the house will increase the electricity bill over time, the real question here is whether you’d rather pay a double or triple digit cost increase in electricity or a ten to hundredfold cost in medical bills.

• Special devices

Although most family members are hesitant about leaving their elderly loved one at home alone and would prefer to have a caregiver around to help, some elderly cherish their own independence.

In situations like these, special devices may be installed around the house to ensure their safety.

For example, a door monitoring system or CCTV may be added to the front gate to ensure that your loved one is not exposed to any strangers or con artists upon responding to the doorbell.

Besides that, a medical device should also be given in case of emergency health situations, for example, if your loved one suffers from occasional asthma attacks.

The medical device can trigger a call which will alert paramedics as well as contain a GPS system in case your loved one has fallen unconscious and is unable to respond.

Smoke detectors can also be installed in the kitchen if your elderly mum or dad loves to cook.

This article was written by Andrew Mastrandonas, Co-founder & CEO of Pillar (www.pillarcare.com) and reviewed by Dr Lim Geng Yan (M.D). Pillar provides a range of elderly home caregiving services, sending trained and certified professional caregivers and nurses to clients’ homes. For more information please visit https://care.pillarcare.com/fmtpromo