As our loved ones age, it’s natural to worry about their safety and well-being! It’s important to keep the seniors in our life as safe as possible on a daily basis, both in and out of the home so that everyone can have peace of mind. We’ve curated a variety of tips to avoid potential hazards and risks to help keep seniors safe at all times.
Declutter Their Homes
Go over to your mom or dad’s house and pick up any clutter that isn’t needed for their daily life. If there are a lot of area rugs or cords on the ground, pick them up and put them in a closet or in the basement. Get rid of anything that they can trip over or catch their feet on. The last thing you want is for your loved ones to fall when there’s no one around to help them. Here are some fall prevention tips for seniors that might come in handy.
Set Up a Home Security System
Home security can be a huge asset in your loved one’s house that can make everyone feel at ease. A smart home security system like SimpliSafe can protect your loved one’s home when you can’t be there or when they’re away. Keeping intruders out of their home is important so that they aren’t exposed to dangers they can no longer protect themselves from. You’ll feel a sense of relief knowing that both your loved ones and their homes are safe at all times.
Consider Home Care Services
Just because you can’t always be around to help your loved one doesn’t mean they have to be alone at all times. According to the AARP, 90% of seniors want to be able to grow old comfortably in their own homes and not go to a nursing home or an assisted living facility. But it can be potentially dangerous to keep them living in their own homes if they need some level of care. To keep seniors safe, consider home care as an option. Caregivers would be able to come to Mom and Dad’s place and help out: whether it’s as simple as companionship to light housekeeping or meal prep, home care would be able to give you the support you need to keep your loved ones safe and on a schedule that works for you and them. You won’t have to worry when you can’t be there, and your loved one will get the help they need and deserve.
Proper Equipment
Your loved ones can’t, and won’t want to, stay at home all the time. Navigating life outside of their home can get tricky as they get older, but make sure you’re prepared will help keep them safe even out in the real world. Get a wheelchair or a walker that you can keep in your car so that when you’re out and about, your loved one will have secure stabilization even if their balance isn’t quite there anymore. Depending on where you bring them, there can be uneven ground or obstacles that increase the risk of a fall, so you want to keep them mobile while still protecting them from an injury.
Education
Unfortunately, there are a lot of scammers out there who target seniors because they’re more susceptible to fall for it. How do we keep seniors safe from these scams? Whether it’s a phone call claiming to be a grandchild in danger or a malicious link, it’s possible your beloved senior may be unaware that they’re even at risk. Make sure to have a talk with them about how important it is to never give their personally identifiable information out over the phone and how to spot suspicious links from unknown email addresses. If their memory isn’t quite as good anymore, look into setting up controls on their devices so that they’re less likely to get unknown calls and emails.
Check out the range of services Nurse Next Door can support Mom or Dad with and give you peace of mind. Call us toll free at +1(877) 588-8609!
