Better Health & Living

Issue: September 2006
Safety at Home
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Safety at Home

Smart adaptations to improve the lives of those with diminishing abilities

by Linda Rao

Published in family •caregiving | 0 Comments, Talk about this article »


My 75-year-old mother has arthritis and doesn’t move around as easily as she used to. What can I do to make her home safer for her?


“It’s great that you recognize your mother needs help and could benefit from some home modifications,” says occupational therapist Claire Mulry, rehabilitation supervisor at the Inpatient Brain Trauma Unit of JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison, New Jersey. “It’s not always easy to tell.”

Pay close attention to what your loved one is doing—and no longer doing—every day. “You may notice they’ve begun limiting some of their daily activities,” says Mulry. “They may not be mobile enough to clean certain parts of their home, they may stop sewing because their eyesight is deteriorating, or they may trip over thresholds because they can’t react as quickly to changes in floor elevation.” Often, she says, loved ones cut back on daily activities so gradually that even they don’t realize there’s a problem.

 

The solution? Consider incorporating elements of what’s called lifespan, or universal design into your relative’s home, or your own if a loved one is moving in with you. “Lifespan design includes features that make homes comfortable and safe for everyone,” explains Mulry. “Homes with these design features, including no-step entryways, first-floor bedrooms and baths, anti-scald devices on faucets, and raised garden beds, enable people to stay in their homes long after retirement, rather than having to move to an apartment or assisted-living community. Making some of these modifications will help your mother remain vital, because she’ll be able to continue doing things she loves.”

 

Mulry suggests these changes to improve the lives of people experiencing several types of diminishing abilities:

Smart Adaptations

  • Buy buttonhooks to help with buttons, and zipper extenders for help with zippers.
  • Install a hair-dryer holder in the bathroom.
  • Store items between hip and shoulder height to eliminate reaching and bending.
  • Install push- or rocker-style light switches.
  • Use lamps that require only a touch to turn on and off. (You can buy touch adapters for regular lamps.)
  • Install single hot-and-cold faucets which operate with one hand, or look for infrared types that turn on and off automatically.
  • Replace all doorknobs with lever handles.
  • Add a bedroom and bathroom on the first floor.
  • To prevent burns, turn your water heater temperature down to 120 degrees. You can also install anti-scald devices on your sink, tub, or shower. Or, install devices that either lock your faucet so you can’t move the handle, or turn the water off, when it gets too hot. 
Prevent Falls
  • Install a nonskid shower floor.
  • Eliminate thresholds to keep walking surfaces level.
  • Mount grab bars in the bathroom and other rooms where falls may occur.
  • Remove area rugs, which can fold and shift.
  • Make sure outdoor walkways are smooth and level.
  • Keep the inside and outside of the house free of clutter, to prevent tripping and confusion.
  • Install railings on both sides of stairways.
  • Use sharply contrasting colors where floor levels change, and on stairways.
    • For example, if there is dark carpet on the first floor, use lighter carpet on the stairs to signal the change in elevation.
  • Keep all indoor and outdoor areas well-lit.
Accommodate Wheelchairs
  • To make work surfaces accessible to the whole family, install surfaces of different heights, or mount height-adjustable sinks, countertops, stovetops, and cabinets.
  • Allow enough space underneath counters and sinks to accommodate chairs, walkers, and wheelchairs.
  • Install a higher (19-inch) toilet—most are 14 to 16 inches high.
  • Install an elevator or stair glide to allow easy access between floors.
  • Build raised flower and vegetable beds in the garden.
  • Eliminate steps to home entrances by sloping the landscape and walkways gently upward.
  • Install a walk-in tub with a swing-away door, or a shower room with no threshold, so a wheelchair can roll in unobstructed. Use shower curtains instead of doors.
Assist Vision and Hearing
  • Make magnifiers available for reading and other close work.
  • Get a talking wristwatch.
  • Use liquid-level indicators which prevent burns by beeping when boiling water comes close to the top of a cup.
  • Use clocks with large dials.
  • Use large-print or Braille phones.
  • Add different textures to handrails at the top and bottom step of a stairway to signal the floor-level change. 
  • Install vibrating alarms and amplified phones, doorbells, and fire alarms.
  • Use strobe lights to signal ringing phones, doorbells, and fire alarms.
  • Install a TTY phone so your loved one can send and receive typed messages over standard phone lines.
  • Purchase voice-activated computer software programs.
Deal with Memory Loss and Alzheimer’s
  • Remove the knobs from the stove.
  • Install door, chair, or bed alarms to warn you if a loved one wanders.
  • Buy a wristwatch with an alarm for reminders about pills, appointments, and other details.
  • Use pill bottles and pagers that signal times to take medications.

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