Moves for Seniors Blog

Everyday there are senior relocations, whether that is moving your parents into assisted living, or a retirement community. With the relocation to their new home, you can help reduce the potential for injury by taking the proper precautions.

The best way to prevent in-home accidents, prepare and make the changes prior to their senior move. Prepare your parents new home with the home safety considerations listed.

Photo Credit | Deposit Photos | © Melpomene

Below are important home safety considerations:

• Sturdy railings on the stairs. Stairs themselves are problematic for seniors – avoid if possible, but if not, than make sure that the railings are secure. Consider putting a railing on both sides and use two hands when walking up and down stairs.

• Use non-slip surfaces on stairs. Again, to keep stairs safe, use non-slip surfaces to prevent slipping and falling down the stairs.

• Place items on low shelves. Avoid using ladders and step stools by only using cabinets that are reachable without assistance.

• Use a skid proof mat in the bathtub. Slipping in the bathtub is very common for seniors and can easily be prevented by using a skid proof mat and even a chair to sit on in the bathtub.

Photo Credit | Deposit Photos | © kaowenhua

• Hang bath aids or “grab bars” in the bathroom. These are railings placed around both the bathtub and the toilet to make it easier to get up and down and prevents seniors from getting stuck on the toilet or in the bathtub and also helps with falling.

• Illuminate the house well. Make sure that the bathroom has a night light for night time bathroom runs. The stairs should be well lite. Any low hanging shelves, lights, etc. should be well lit to prevent head injuries. The front walkway should be well lit at night as well.

• Install carbon monoxide (CO) detectors. These should be outside of every room that is used for sleeping.

• Carpet rather than hardwood floors. Hardwood floors may look nice, but they can be slippery and cause more bruising when falling compared to carpets. But do not use throw rugs; these are very dangerous for falling.

• Turn down the temperature of the water. Prevent scalding and burns by turning down the temperature of the water.

You may want to consider a medical alert system or a buddy for your parents. This will give them the security of knowing they have help at the click of a button if they are injured and are unable to move.

Relocating seniors to a new home doesn’t have to be stressful. A senior moving company is the best choice for moving your parents. Let Moves for Seniors help. Contact us today to get a quote and we can even put you in contact with a Specialty Move Coordinator who could help with all of these home safety considerations.

Call today! (800) 227-0515