Home safety requires proactive thinking
I have a neighbor named Jack. His wife passed away in 1994 from breast cancer and his two daughters live far away, so I’m a caregiver of sorts, checking in on him daily just to be sure he’s okay. He’s 92 years old now, and becoming more frail and unsteady on his feet.
When I rang his doorbell this morning, he opened the door leaning heavily on his walker, and I noticed some very nasty scratches on his face and arms.
“Jack! What happened−did you fall?”
His answer was worrisome. In the wee hours of the morning (Jack is a very early riser), he had leaned over to deadhead his wife’s roses in the front yard… he leaned a bit too far and lost his balance, tipping head first into the bush. The thorns caught his clothing and neatly trapped him in the bush, and he just didn’t have the body strength to extricate himself. Because it was so early in the morning, he remained fallen in the roses for a lengthy period, until a neighbor saw him as she pulled out of the driveway leaving for work.
It was a bad situation, for sure, but one that triggered an important talk between us: how to make his home safer. Modifying his home was long overdue.
And thank goodness it happened in the front yard, not the back!
Be proactive with home safety, not reactive
As we age in the homes we love, it’s critical to adjust our surroundings to remain safe and comfortable.
Sure, remaining independent is about eating the right kinds of nutrition to stay healthy, getting enough activity to keep our mobility and flexibility, and preventing isolation that may keep us trapped in the house even when our health is good. It’s also about common sense changes, though, something that’s all too easy to put off until something requires a change. But why wait until it’s necessary? Home should be a safe place that enables remaining independent throughout the aging in place process, regardless of age or physical ability.
If you are over 70 and haven’t thought about modifying your home for safety reasons yet, here are two resources in particular that are extremely useful. Both are free downloads, easily saved to a phone or computer to read at your convenience, or share with family, a spouse, or perhaps even a contractor/handyman.
We hope these inspire you to modify your home, even if you start with a few simple methods, such as removing area rugs and extra furniture to lessen risk of falling.
- The AARP HomeFit Guide is a comprehensive eBook packed with great ideas, including a Do-It-Yourself list.
- Sun Health at Home’s free eBook, “A Visual Guide to Preparing Your Home for Your Retirement” is a valuable resource that separates your home into zones with specific areas to consider.
In addition to these home safety ebooks, scheduling an assessment of your home can also be very helpful and free or low-cost community resources may be available. Checking resources such as the Arizona Department of Health Services and Area on Aging websites may provide events or resources near you.
For those who live in the City of Surprise, its fire department offers an assortment of senior safety programs for its residents, including an automated daily welfare call, so checking city or county first responder resources may also prove helpful. Sun City West and Sun City West also offers a similar free automated call service, called the “Are You Okay?” R.U.O.K. program.
Please don’t be like Jack, waiting until a fall or accident spurs activity. If your physical needs are beginning to change, proactively modifying your home as necessary and actively ensuring nothing creates a fall risk are essential steps in remaining independent.
Are you a member of the Sun Health at Home program for aging in place? Home safety inspections are included in your membership, as just one of our services to keep you healthy and independent. Ask us about it today, or attend our free Discovery Seminar to learn more!
