Elder Care: Tips For Keeping Seniors Safe At Home

As people age, living in care becomes extremely important to consider. They sometimes need to make some adjustments in their home to insure their own safety. Here are some tips to help your aging loved ones stay safe inside their homes:

1. Remove all items that may cause a senior to slip and fall It is always a good idea to take a look around the home and identify possible trouble spots that need to be addressed. Throw rugs, loose electrical cords, other loose wires that may get in someone's way as they try to walk around the house. Waxed floors that tend to cause slippage would also fit into this category. Depending on what you find, you may need to do some changes to the flooring, like replacing throw rugs or slippery floors with a tacked down carpet.

2. Make sure there are stable handrails on all stairs If your loved ones live in a multi-level structure with stairs, it is critical that they are able to climb these stairs safely. First of all, make sure that all sets of stairs (even just 2 or 3 steps) have accompanying handrails. For stairs that already have handrails, make sure they are not loose or shaky. If you're not able to yourself, hire someone to come over and stabilize all shaky handrails.

3. Secure the bathrooms Make sure all the bathtubs and showers are slip-proof by putting in bathmats. Also install handrails in the bathtubs and showers to help them get in and out easier.

4. As a Senior Caregiver ensure that all the necessary and regularly used items are just around the corner. Avoid putting them on top shelves because seniors have a greater tendency to lose their balance when reaching high spots. In case a step stool will be needed for places that are hard to reach, acquire one that has firm footing.

5. Make sure that there is adequate lightning in hallways and other frequently visited areas within and outside the house. If your senior parents have cataracts and diabetes, understanding that poor lighting makes these already troublesome diseases worse can be a source of great relief. You can solve this problem by cleaning the overhead light fixtures and replacing defective bulbs. Also, furniture should be placed very near the outlets to make sure that electric cords are out of the way. If necessary, install an additional wiring to cut down the distance between the outlet and the appliance. Another great option is to install an occupancy sensor light switch, an electrical device that automatically turns on the light anytime it senses a movement such as the opening of a kitchen door.

6. Beware of heating system hazards. Because seniors tend to spend more of their time inside the house, they are highly vulnerable to gas leaks and carbon monoxide poisoning. For their safety, make it a habit to have your heating systems professionally serviced every year. Monitor the carbon monoxide level within the house. According to statistics, carbon monoxide has been the primary reason for accidental poisoning deaths. Having a carbon monoxide detector inside the house, especially near the bedroom can help. This is the best way to detect if the carbon monoxide level is becoming too dangerous for their health.

7. Ensure that all your furniture is firm and safe. Unstable furniture, such as a chair that has a broken leg is dangerous. It is best to repair or replace them as soon as possible. Beds that have an elevated platform are also not advisable for seniors because not only will they have a hard time getting into it, they might also accidentally fall from it. Provide them with beds that are high and comfortable enough for them.

8. Put food products and toxic products in different storage areas. People with a blurred vision can easily confuse a cleaning product for a condiment, especially when they don't have their glasses on.

9. Install grab bars in high traffic areas inside the house. Grab bars can give extra security to seniors who are prone to light-headedness or dizziness. Installing grab bars can make moving around the house much easier and safer for them.

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Caring For Your Elderly Parents - Keeping Them Safe While They Still Live At Home

We will not stay young forever no matter how hard we try and how many anti-aging agents and treatments we use. It is inevitable in the end that aging is going to win. This holds true for your parents as well. As you age so do they, just with a couple of decades head start. It's important to remember that your parents as they get older are going to need a little more help and you may need to be there for them, just as they were there for you when you were growing up. It's important to remember that your parents are going to want to stay in their own homes for as long as they can and you should try your best to make sure they can do that by trying to help provide them with a safe environment so that they can do this.

Make sure that you know what all of your parents medical issues are and understand that they may have multiple so it's important that you know about all of them. You also should know who their doctor is so that you can contact the doctor in case you need to. Remember, that even though a lot of things are changing for your elderly parents, as long as they can take care of themselves, such as simple daily activities, they should be allowed to be able to stay in their own homes.

You should also go to their home and check out their living environment. Make sure that you check out all of the rooms they have and will be having activities in. According to whatever ailments they might have, you may have to make a few minor adjustments in order to make some areas safer than others, especially in the bathroom where slips and falls are quite common especially with the elderly. Add safety bars in the shower or tub and if they happen to have stairs that have no railings, then consider adding some railings for them to make it easier for them to navigate. Also make sure that there is good lighting in the entire house and that all of their locks on their doors are in good working order.

If their home is cluttered, it's a good idea to make sure that you try to clear some of the clutter away for them. Take out any throw rugs that might be in the way of their walking paths because they could easily trip on a rug that might be rumpled up and this could end in an unnecessary injury. If they are using a walker, cane or even a wheelchair, make sure there is plenty of room in the home to be able to maneuver in the house with these objects.

Check and make sure that all fire hazards are taken care of. Make sure that their stove is in good working condition and is safe to cook on. Cut down on them having to cook meals every day on the stove by occasionally cooking for them or making extras at home and inviting them over or taking them a few meals cooked a head of time that all they will have to do is warm up in the microwave. You should also convince them to stop using space heaters if they are, these can be huge fire hazards.

Make sure that you call them often or just stop by on occasion to make sure they are doing OK and to see if there is anything you might be able to do for them. Never just assume that everything is going great just because they haven't called you. They may be too proud to ask for help or unable to get to the phone to call for help.

If you notice any kind of mental or physical changes in them, it's important that you call their doctor right away, it could be nothing but then again it could be very serious. The elderly tend to have quick and sudden changes happen to them and without warning so it's important to pay close attention and get help if needed.

Keep all of their important phone numbers posted wherever there is a phone so that they do not have to be searching for a number when they need to get someone to help them or need advice on something.

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Aging Resources - Enjoying Life and Keeping Your Aging Body Protected At the Same Time

Let's face it, none of us are going to stay young forever, it's that simple, we grow up, we get old and that is the simple facts of life. That doesn't mean we need to give up the minute we finally realize that there is no way of stopping the aging process! Heck no! Take care of yourself the best that you can so that you can continue to enjoy life in the face of aging.

It's important that you do some sort of exercise as often as you can handle it. Some people when they age have no problems and can pretty much continue with heavy duty exercise, but others may have limitations and that's OK too. Even the smallest amount of exercise on a regular basis is better than none at all.

Make sure that you eat good. It's important that you try and maintain a balanced diet one that is filled with fruits, veggies, different kinds of nuts and seeds and fish oil or omega 3 acids. Some of the best things you can include in your diet are foods like spinach, garlic and blueberries. These are great antioxidants and help to fight the free radicals in your body that speed up the aging process. Note to remember, the more colorful the fruit or the vegetable is the better chance that it has a higher antioxidant content.

Other good foods for your body and a healthy brain are foods with high fatty acids, some of those foods are fish, nuts, olive oil and avocados. They are also a great source of vitamin E and some think they will help to ward off diseases like Alzheimer's.

Drink lots of fluids. Not just water either, although a good amount of water is required for anyone to stay healthy, but feel free to add coffee, tea and fresh juice to the mix. You should however try to avoid sodas with sugar, prepared juice and keep the alcohol consumption to a minimum.

Water is great for digestion and getting rid of the toxins in our bodies and coffee and caffeinated teas have wonderful antioxidant agents in them that not only fights the free radicals but also helps to increase our cognitive thinking. The herbal teas are good for digestion as well and some of them tend to help calm the nerves as well and boost your immune system.

Continue to learn. You are never too old to learn something new. It can be said that to stop learning is to stop living. Make sure that you do a lot of different things that will help to stimulate your brain. Continue to read new books, take classes that you never would have taken when you were younger because you simply didn't have the time. Work crosswords or Sudoku, play a variety of different games that will help stimulate your keep your mind challenged.

Get rid of stress in your life. Stress is one of the most toxic elements around that will make you sick. It's one of the worst things you can do for your heart especially and is known to raise the blood pressure higher and quicker than anything else.

Find ways to relieve stress. Take time off by yourself and just listen to soothing music, or sit in the backyard and listen to the birds sing. Learn to meditate or take some extra time out to pray. Whatever has a calming affect on you, you need to do it so that you can ward off the stress in your life.

For more free Aging & Health Information download Charles' Free Aging & Health Information Pack at http://www.free-aging-info.com/ and join thousands of other people enjoying their later years in life!

For other free information on a variety of issues please visit http://www.free-info-site.com/.