Home Care: Creating a Senior Friendly Home

Home Care in South Fork

These days, many seniors are choosing to grow old at home. Home care providers are here to help. If your senior loved one wants to stay in their own home as they get older, there are some things you can do right now to make that home more senior-friendly.

Start the Work Now

Even if your senior loved one doesn’t need any special accommodations in their home currently, they probably will need some in the future. Using these tips to make the home more senior-friendly now saves you a headache down the road. You avoid having to do last-minute renovations when your senior loved one needs some accommodations to live safely at home. Some things you can do to get your senior parent’s home ready for them to age in place are:

Complete Any Major Work

You should get those done if any extensive home repairs or jobs are needed in the next decade. Avoid any emergencies while your senior parent is living in the house alone. Things like upgrading the hot water tank, getting a new furnace, painting the house, or replacing the roof are all big jobs that are best done now before they need massive repairs. A great way to know what should be done is to have a home inspector come out and look at the home.

Get Central Air Installed

Summers are getting warmer everywhere and will not change in the coming years. In fact, most scientists predict that things will only get hotter. So if your senior loved one’s home doesn’t have central air, it’s an excellent time to have that installed. Over the coming years, your senior loved one will need that to stay healthy and cool at home  Window air conditioners can work in a pinch, but central air conditioning is the best option. Ductless mini-splits are also a good option if your senior loved one’s home doesn’t have the ductwork in place already for central air conditioning.

Put In Carpeting

The number one way seniors injure themselves is by falling. Undeniably, many of those falls happen at home. Putting wall-to-wall carpeting in the house will give your seniors a softer place to land if they fall. It makes the difference between whether your senior loved one is seriously injured or not. Remove any area rug in the house and put in carpeting instead. If you’re going to put area rugs or mats in the kitchen and bathroom instead of carpeting, make sure those area rugs or mats are non-slip.

Create A First Floor Bedroom And Bathroom

Eventually, the chances are very high that your senior loved one won’t be able to climb stairs alone safely. Home care providers can help. But when home care providers aren’t there, your senior loved one will be on their own. Going up and down the stairs can be dangerous for seniors. Some seniors cannot do it if they develop a severe health condition. That’s why you should create a first-floor bedroom and full bathroom for your senior loved one.

If you or an aging loved one are considering Home Care in South Fork, NY, call the caring staff at Artful Home Care today at 631-685-5001.