Aging brings with it not only mobility issues, but an increased susceptibility to falling and sustaining severe injuries. This means that it is absolutely critical that your aging loved ones live in a home that is as free from hazards as possible. It can be very difficult for you to detect the potential safety hazards in your parents’ home because you are so accustomed to that home. It is likely that your parents of lived in that home for the majority of your life, if not your entire life, and you are so used to the surroundings that you may not notice things that could pose a serious danger to your parents on a daily basis. This doesn’t mean that your negligence, or that you don’t care about the safety of your parents, it simply means that you are so used to your parents’ home in the way that you have navigated it over the years, that it may not occur to you that simple things that you just consider part of their home may be dangerous.
An in-home assessment by a local home care agency can be extremely enlightening in pointing out the safety hazards in your parents’ home. If you have noticed that your parents are coping with mobility or cognitive issues and you are concerned about their safety, or they insist on remaining at home throughout the course of their life, strongly consider having such an assessment done. During this assessment the home care agency will come into your parents’ home and evaluate it for its safety and usability. The representatives of the agency will point out to you in the areas of concern, and offer suggestions for how to modify these potential hazards to make the home safer and more functional for your parents.
Some of the things that a home care agency might notice during an in-home assessment include:
- Furniture that is arranged in such a way that makes it difficult to get through the home
- A bathroom that is not properly outfitted with slip resistant materials and handrails
- Banisters that are not secure
- Sidewalks and other walkways that are uneven
- Porches and front steps that are not in good condition
- Appliances that are not in good working order or that can be easily turned on accidentally
- A lack of security measures such as locks or window bars
- A lack of a home security system that includes monitoring
Having such an assessment will allow you to modify your parents’ home so that it is safe as possible, allowing them to remain in these surroundings throughout their lives. An in-home assessment by a home care agency can also be a fantastic start to a home care companion relationship. This assessment will allow the companion to get familiar with the home as well as with your parents.
