Senior Care in Plymouth MN
As a family caregiver, one of the most important things that you do is keeping them as safe and healthy as possible. This means accepting the risks that they face and taking important steps to reduce those risks. One of the greatest risks that most elderly adults face is falling. Each year millions of adults over the age of 64 throughout the United States suffers a fall. Many of these will experience an injury severe enough that they will need to be hospitalized. For those adults who experience a fall, their risk of suffering another one is more than doubled. This means that they are even more vulnerable to serious consequences.
One of the areas of the home that poses the greatest risks for falls is the bathroom. Due to the nature of the activities performed in this room, the type of flooring, and the water and products that might be spilled, this room poses a variety of potential fall hazards. Use these tips to help you reduce this fall risk and improve your parent’s safety in the bathroom:
• Replace the flooring. Most bathrooms have smooth, slick flooring. While this type of floor is easy to clean, it can be extremely slick. Consider replacing this flooring with textured tiles. These create more grip, reducing slickness and improve stability.
• Add ventilation. Condensation on the floor can make it extremely slippery. Effectively ventilation helps to remove the warm, damp air from the space quickly so that it does not end up as condensation on the floor. This also helps to reduce the chances of mold and mildew growth.
• Add grab bars. If your parent does not feel stable when they are walking across the bathroom or bathing, they might reach for a towel rod, shelf, or wall to stabilize themselves. This, however, can result in what they are reaching for falling or them slipping off, causing an even more serious fall. Adding grab bars offers more stability so your parent can hold on as they maneuver around the space.
• Consider product dispensers. Products that end up on the floor of the shower can make it slippery and unsafe. Getting the right amount of product out of the bottles can be challenging for your parent, especially if they struggle with pain and stiffness in their hands. Product dispensers are bottles that secure to the wall and dispense a small amount of shampoo, conditioner, or body wash so that there is far less risk of a dangerous spill.
One of the best ways that you can help your aging parent stay safe and reduce the chances that they will suffer a serious injury is to start senior care for them. A senior home care service provider can be with your parent to give them a personalized set of services tailored specifically to their individual needs, challenges, and limitations. This ensures that they will get what they need according to their personality, beliefs and goals to give them the lifestyle and quality of life that they desire and deserve. Not only does this type of care help your parent live a more active, independent life, but it also gives you confidence that your parent is receiving the support and respect they deserve whether you are with them or not.
Source
http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/falls/adultfalls.html
If you or an aging loved one are considering senior care in Plymouth, MN, and the surrounding areas, please contact the friendly staff at CareBuilders at Home Minnesota. Call today 612-260-2273.
