How To Make The Home of a Visually Impaired Senior Citizen Safer
Keeping a senior loved one safe and happy is the concern of millions of Americans. If you have taken charge of making the home of your senior loved one safer, you need to consider a few factors when devising a plan. The more you know about the ailments a senior citizen has, the easier it will be to figure out how to make their home safer and more functional.
Nearly 34% of the elderly people in the United States have a vision-reducing eye disease. People that have difficulty seeing are at a higher risk of falling in their homes. Vision problems can also pose other dangers that can put a senior citizen at risk of injury.
Work On Removing Trip and Fall Hazards
Aging in place is a goal of many senior citizens in the United States. If your elderly loved one is adamant about aging in place, you need to do all you can to help them out. When trying to make a home safer for a visually impaired senior, start by removing any trip hazards in the home. The injuries that arise from slipping and falling can put a senior citizen in the hospital.
When trying to reduce the trip and fall hazards in a visually impaired senior citizen’s home, focus on doing things like:
- Remove cords from walkways and secure them to the floor
- Push desks and chairs closer to the walls of the home
- Invest in taller end tables and coffee tables
- Secure area rugs with carpet taps
- Remove and replace worn carpeting
By making these changes, you can lower the risk of a trip and fall accident occurring in the home of a visually impaired senior citizen. If you want to ensure your senior loved one can get help in the event of a slip and fall accident, providing them with a medical alert system is a good idea.
Lighting Modifications Are Important
Having diminished vision will require a senior citizen to have plenty of light in their home. Leaving the rooms in a vision-impaired elderly person’s home dim can be very dangerous. This is why investing in things like overhead lamps and nightlights is important.
You also need to think about trading out the incandescent bulbs in a senior citizen’s home for LED bulbs. These bulbs provide more light and are more energy-efficient.
Rearranging the Furniture
Another important thing you need to focus on when trying to make the home of a vision-impaired elderly person safer is the furniture. By removing furniture from the walkways of a senior’s home, you can drastically reduce the chances of slip and fall accidents occurring. You also need to think about putting furniture near windows that can provide natural light. This natural light can help to illuminate a vision-impaired senior’s surroundings and will make it easier for them to navigate the interior portion of their homes.
While making the home of a vision-impaired senior citizen safe is a lot of work, it is definitely worth the effort you invest.
