Whenever you are dealing with the elderly, the first thing on your mind should be their safety. It is obvious that as we age the body becomes weak and vulnerable to very many ailments and diseases that weaken the body. Just general mobility can be impaired which makes generally daily chores such as bathing much more difficult. It is therefore necessary to give special attention to the elderly just as we do for children. If your parents are aging and your noticing they are struggling with things they never used to, now would be the time to make sure their home is a safe environment.
Accidents can be prevented
In terms of the elderly, most of the injuries that older people suffer occur mainly at home and could be prevented if special precaution is taken. A key point that needs special attention is the bathroom. Many people have suffered broken bones as a result of sliding on the bathroom floors and falling. This is a great danger and the first precaution here is to ensure that the floor is not slippery so as to avoid sliding. This can be done by resurfacing the floor or putting a hard corner to corner mat on which one cannot slide. It is also wise to put grab bars just at the entrance of the bathroom and also on the walls slightly above the waist height. This will assist the elderly to hold such grab handles to assist themselves in standing firm.
Keep lighting bright
Lighting is another key point to consider when dealing with the elderly. The whole house must have ample light to ease any necessary movement, especially due to the poor eye sight which results from old age. Less light reaches the back of the eyes because the pupils decrease in size as you age, the lens inside your eye becomes thicker, and the lens scatters more light, causing objects and colors to appear less vivid.
Low lighting levels may contribute to slips, trips and falls so ensuring each room including the bathroom has adequate lighting it paramount. Incandescent light bulbs are preferred over fluorescent lighting, because they react instantaneously.
A complete overhaul
If you can afford, you may prefer constructing a special bathroom for the elderly or doing a complete overhaul of the existing bathroom. It may look a bit odd, but it is advisable to rebuild the door to open outwards or do away with it completely. If you choose to remove the door, you may choose to put a heavy curtain to maintain the privacy. Be sure to remove the towel racks or enforce them or remove and add grab rails. Anything like a towel rail will get used for grabbing and it may well not be strong enough to hold the persons weight.
Any refurbishments in the bathroom is where we can help. This is our specialty. We have over 25 years helping the elderly and disabled keep their independence with bathing for longer. We can do simple changes such as adding grab rails or raising toilets and even removing an old bath for a walk in bath or shower. Changes like this sound like a big job but most baths can easily be replaced with low level easy access walk in showers or baths. If you are thinking a complete bathroom overhaul is what is needed, we can do the lot for you. We ensure you get a bathroom to suit your needs by asking lots of important questions and spending 90 minutes surveying your current bathroom.
Let us keep your elderly safe. Contact us today on 0800 612 5954 or click here to download our free brochure.