- De-cluttering floors is crucial for senior safety because it reduces the risk of falls.
- De-cluttering floors can also improve the overall accessibility of the home.
- Stairs can be particularly hazardous for seniors.
- Stair lifts offer a range of benefits for seniors and their caregivers.
- Stair lifts significantly improve the safety of seniors.
- Stair lifts can keep your elderly loved one living at home.
- Contact Advantage Home Health Solutions today!
The majority of senior citizens are well aware of a fact that most of their younger counterparts are yet to learn firsthand. Aging significantly impacts our physical abilities. For older adults, tasks that were once considered easy have become more difficult. As a result, the risk of injury can increase.
For this reason, it is absolutely crucial to keep our homes safe and accessible. Especially for homes that inhabit seniors, it is vital to de-clutter the floors. Is your home one that has items strewn across its walking paths? Let’s discuss the extreme importance of clearing the path to senior safety in your home.
De-cluttering floors is crucial for senior safety because it reduces the risk of falls.
Not surprisingly, falls are a significant cause of injury for seniors. Naturally, they can result in serious consequences such as broken bones, head injuries and even death. The Public Health Agency of Canada reports that falls are, in fact, the leading cause of injury-related hospitalizations and injury deaths among Canadians who are aged 65 or older.
“Injuries from falls reduce older adults’ quality of life, increase caregiver demands, and precipitate admissions into long-term care,” notes their website, “The cost of treating fall-related injuries is high.”
Do your best to always clear your walkways of any unnecessary items. We’re talking about throw rugs, cords and clutter. Removing them from the floor can significantly help to prevent trips and falls. This is because seniors may have difficulty seeing or manoeuvring around obstacles. Not to mention, items left on the floor can create hazards for caregivers or family members who may be assisting seniors.
De-cluttering floors can also improve the overall accessibility of the home.
Many older adults use assistive devices such as walkers, rollators and wheelchairs to help them manage their mobility issues. These solutions all require sufficient space to manoeuvre. By reducing clutter and creating clear paths, older adults can move around their homes a lot more easily and safely.
News-Medical.Net highlights this by revealing study findings from the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. It “found that de-cluttering and reducing hazards had the most benefit for older people who are at risk of falls, for example because they have recently had a fall and been hospitalized or need support with daily activities such as dressing or using stairs.”
Stairs can be particularly hazardous for seniors.
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, “seniors are more at risk for falling on stairs than younger adults, and more likely to suffer severe injuries. In fact, seniors 65+ account for 70% of the deaths resulting from stair accidents.”
One of the most effective ways to improve stair safety is to install stair lifts. Stair lifts are mobility aids that can be installed on existing staircases. They consist of chairs or platforms that travel up and down the stairs on tracks. Stair lifts are well known for allowing seniors to safely and easily navigate their homes.
Stair lifts offer a range of benefits for seniors and their caregivers.
They provide safe and efficient ways to navigate stairs, reducing the risk of falls and injuries. Stair lifts can also improve the overall accessibility of the home, allowing seniors to remain in their homes for longer. A stair lift system is a very effective solution when a set of stairs keeps a person from enjoying his/her whole home.
Among the top benefits of installing a stair lift in your home is the sense of renewed independence your elderly loved one will feel. As Leslie Newlife points out on NewLifestyles.com, many people start to develop senses of self-pity once they realize they are unable to access the upper floors or the basements of their houses.
“It is an awful feeling having to take assistance from a family member or a friend every time you need to move up a flight of stairs,” she writes, “A stair lift completely solves this problem. The quality of life that the sufferer deserves is properly restored – something that is priceless.”
Stair lifts significantly improve the safety of seniors.
Getting up and down the stairs can be incredibly difficult when you’re enduring physical aches and pains. As well, many seniors suffer from vision impairments. This highlights the reason to keep the stairs free from clutter. Even clear staircases can present challenges to older adults who battle with diminishing strength and balance. As Newlife points out, stair lifts ensure that their users do not get into any accidents by trying to get up the stairs without any help.
“This is the most important factor of all in terms of physical safety,” she stresses, “Stairs are the most difficult locations to pass through in a house. This proves why most household accidents occur on or near a staircase. Slipping and falling on the stairs is significantly more dangerous than experiencing the same on a flat surface.” Newlife goes on to note that broken hips, fractured legs and bruised arms are some of the most common aftermaths of accidents on staircases.
Stair lifts can keep your elderly loved one living at home.
In many cases, older adults who live in homes with staircases are forced to relocate to long-term care facilities. This is unfortunate as the majority of seniors wish to age in place. Being unable to safely reach different levels of the home should not be a barrier to such comfortable living.
Newlife reminds us that the elderly, unfortunately, do not have a lot of options when it comes to spending the final years of their lives. “Frequent illness, weakened bodily functions, and the necessity for assistance begin to overwhelm almost any elderly,” she notes, “Under such circumstances, many of them go on to live in an assisted living facility.” Installing a stair lift can prevent this from happening.
Contact Advantage Home Health Solutions today!
Our team always ensures that you have the complete picture to make an informed stair lift purchase. Please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 403-460-5438. You may also email us by filling out the form on our Contact page!
