Your home is the place you should feel most comfortable. It’s a safe place away from the world where you can pursue your interests or just lounge around and enjoy all of your free time. Unfortunately, as you age and lose mobility your home becomes less inviting and more difficult to navigate. It’s no good feeling out of place in your own home, but there are things you can do to help. Here are 5 safety updates that you can make to your living room.
It’s hard enough to move around as you age without things blocking your path. The more you have to snake around to get places, the more likely it is that you’ll experience a fall. The living room is a particularly problematic place for aging homeowners. Take a look at all of the furniture you’ve accumulated over the years. Anything that you don’t need, you should consider removing.
The ultimate goal is to make your living room into a place where you feel comfortable moving around. This will involve some trial and error, as everyone has different preferences. Just make sure that the furniture doesn’t inhibit your mobility. For example, if you have a wheelchair or walker make sure you give yourself plenty of room to turn around.
Many homes have fairly narrow doorways. This is fine when you’re young and spry, but as you age it becomes more and more uncomfortable. Using a wheelchair or a walker can make it even more difficult — sometimes even impossible — to get through your average doorway. It’s important to plan ahead here. Even though you may be fine now, in a few years these doorways may present a challenge. Widening doorways is a fairly large project to take on, but all the time and effort you save when moving through your home makes it worthwhile.
One of the worst feelings is having to get up at night and being unable to find the light switch. Moving around in the dark greatly increases the likelihood of a fall, and falling in the dead of night when no one is around is even more dangerous. Smart lighting can switch on and off as you navigate through rooms, making walking around your home at night a breeze.
Sometimes, you just can’t find it in you to move on your own and you need a helping hand. That’s why it’s smart to install grab bars in your home. Some bathrooms even come with grab bars pre-installed, but you’ll rarely find them elsewhere in a home. In the living room, you can place grab bars near where you like to sit to help you get up out of your chair. You can also place them along the walls to help you move around easier.
Soft carpets can help mitigate the damage from a fall, but what you really need is to prevent falls in the first place. That’s why hard flooring is generally preferable. If you do want carpeted flooring, make sure it’s short, not long and shaggy. It’s far too easy to get your foot caught on long, shaggy carpeting. Make sure you pay attention to the condition of the flooring as well. Beat up hardwood flooring is about the worst thing you can have in your home.
Hopefully, these safety tips will serve you well in age-proofing your home. If you have any more questions about making your home safer, don’t hesitate to contact us at Community Renovations today.