Your dad’s goal is to age at home, and he wants to stay as independent as he can. First of all, one thing you can do to ensure he can do this is to set up his home for independent living. These are the changes senior care professionals can help you make.
Arrange Automatic Medication Refills
If your dad has prescription medications he takes daily, arrange to have them refilled and delivered to his home. Ultimately, it will prevent emergency trips to a pharmacy for refills. Plus, it will alert you when he needs to see his doctor and have the prescription renewed for another year.
Improve Bathroom Safety
The bathroom is the area where falls are most likely to occur. Obviously, wet flooring after a shower is a hazard that you cannot ignore. Simply, add grab bars inside the shower or bathtub, on the wall outside the tub, and near the toilet. Non-slip bath mats or stick-on flooring decals help prevent falls during a bath or shower.
Rearrange Furniture to Avoid Trip Hazards
How is your dad’s furniture arranged? If he has a coffee table inches from his favorite recliner, then there’s a good chance of stubbing his toe on it when it stands up and starts to walk. Make sure there’s ample room to walk around. If you have to remove some furnishings to heighten safety, do so.
Secure Stair Rails and Flooring
Double-check the railings in your dad’s home. Make sure they’re sturdy and can support his total weight if he has to grab onto them. Check his flooring, too. Loose tiles, carpeting, and stair treads can become a hazard as your dad walks on them.
Switch to Brighter Light Fixtures
Brighter lighting is one way to avoid tripping or stumbling at night. If your dad’s bedroom is upstairs and the lighting on the stairs is dim, there’s obviously a higher chance of him missing a step and falling.
LED Is Currently the Best Option
While CFL bulbs were desirable years ago, the switch to energy-efficient LED lighting is the best option for now. CFL bulbs contain mercury and take time to warm up and reach full illumination, making them poor options in cooler climates.
Night Lights at Floor Level
Rebates for LED bulbs are often available, so you don’t have to pay much to switch over if he hasn’t yet made the change. Also, consider floor-level night lights that turn on automatically when the sun sets or when motion is detected.
Voice Activation
Another thing to consider is voice-activated LED light fixtures and bulbs. If your dad has a smart speaker, he can ask his lights to turn on to his preferred brightness as he enters his room.
Senior Care Services
Overall, senior care services help your father accomplish everything on his list. What he can do independently is left to complete, but he has a helping hand when he needs it. Call a senior home care advisor to learn more.