How to Survey Your Living Space For Senior Safety - Part 2

Your living room and bedroom are the two places in your home where you spend the most time. Every homeowner wants to feel comfortable, relaxed and safe in these main living spaces. Use this checklist to survey your main living space and spot potential safety hazards before an accident occurs.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• A notebook and pen are all you need to survey your living space for safety concerns and improvements.

1. Check door thresholds at room entrances to ensure a smooth transition, you may need to replace or eliminate a threshold to prevent trips.
2. Are all doorways between main living spaces free of clutter? One option to make entry ways easier to navigate is to have your doorways widened. Doorway openings of 32” to 36” provide better access than standard doorways, and can accommodate walkers and wheelchairs.
3. Examine in areas of high traffic, such as main bedroom, and hall entrances. You may want to remove a door completely to allow easy access.
4. Make sure your door knobs are easy to use. A good option for seniors is to have new door knobs with lever-type handles installed
5. Are your closet and pantry doors easy to operate? You may want to remove them altogether, or replace with sliding or accordion style doors.
6. Small knobs on sliding or accordion style doors can be hard to grasp. “D” style handles work much better for these types of doors.
7. If your bed is hard to get in and out of install grab bars or vertical poles next to bed and dressing area. For more Install a trapeze grab over the bed.
8. Install lights in closets can assist those with vision difficulties. Auto lights can be installed inside closets that turn on and off without flipping a switch.
9. Are the hanging rods in the closet able to be reached easily? If not, have them lowered.
10. Hooks near the closet are handy for most used items such as bedclothes, jackets and sweaters.
11. Have a phone jack moved to a convenient location that’s at a height near your bed or sofa. It can be hard bending over to plug in a phone cord.
12. Have frequently used light switches lowered or moved if needed to more convenient locations, such as near bed next to the sofa at both ends of hallways, and at both ends of staircases. Could you reach your thermostat & HVAC controls from a wheelchair? If not, have them moved to a lower height.
13. If your locks don’t operate with easy, or take multiple keys, have them replaced with easy-to-operate locks , and switch all locks so that only one key is needed for entire house.
14. If your windows & sliding door tracks don’t open & close easily, have tracks cleaned, screws in track tightened, & track lubricated.

Tips & Warnings

• For projects needing a home improvement professional, seek guidance from your area senior center or a free contractor referral service.
• While every home is different, all homes are personal retreats. Stay safe in your santuary by taking a few simple steps to check for hazards. Make changes now so you’ll be able to live as long as you like in your own home. For more information about identifying hazards in your home, visit the Home Safety Council website www.homesafetycouncil.org.
• Remove all throw rugs! These are a leading cause of trips and falls among the elderly.