Aging at home is an essential part of your parents’ long-term care plan, but your parents have to be safe while doing it. You and your siblings need to make sure their home is safe for them to live in. You’ve looked at safety features like grab bars, smoke, fire, and carbon monoxide detectors, and brighter lighting. What home safety tips are you forgetting?

Store Medications Safely and Properly

Personal Care at Home Bellaire, TX: Home Safety

Keep medications in a secure medicine chest. The pills should be left in the containers they came in to ensure drugs don’t get mixed up. Don’t try to save room by putting all of your mom and dad’s pills into one jar, even if they’re different colors.

Turn Down the Water Heater

If your mom and dad’s water heater is set to higher than 120 degrees F, they risk burning their skin. Turn down the water heater. This also helps reduce the amount of energy needed to keep water warm.

Limit the Use of Power Strips

Your parents may not have enough outlets. If they use power strips to increase the number of available outlets, they need to be careful not to overload the strip. It’s a fire hazard. They should not plug any small appliance that uses a lot of electricity, such as a space heater or appliance, into the power strip.

Keep Space Heaters Away From Furnishings and Curtains

Your parents have a cool, drafty room. To stay warm, they use a space heater. Is it set in a safe location? Space heaters need to be a minimum of three feet from items like bedding, furniture, and curtains.

They also should have automatic shut-off if a pet bumps the heater and it tips over. Finally, make sure your parents know always to turn off the heater when they leave the room or go to bed.

Arranging the Home for Use of a Cane or Walker

If mobility changes and your mom or dad needs a walker or cane, is the house equipped for that? Non-slip flooring helps prevent falls. Remove clutter to avoid having the mobility device catch on something as they walk through a hall or room. Furniture should be arranged to make it easy for your parents to walk around.

Hire Caregivers to Provide Home Care Services

Ensure home safety for your parents by scheduling personal care at home services. By calling a home care specialist, your parents have the help they need and get to age safely and happily at home. Arrange personal care at home today.

If you or an aging loved one are considering Personal Care at Home in Bellaire, TX, contact the caring staff at Personal Caregiving Services at 832-564-0338. Providing Care in Houston, Bellaire, West University Place, Katy, and Sugar Land and the surrounding areas.

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Sid Gerber

Founding Partner at S. Gerber and Associates & Personal Caregiving Services

Sid Gerber is a founding partner of S. Gerber & Associates, a firm representing over 28 years of experience specializing in a broad range of long term care products and services including but not limited to care assessment, planning and management, care coordination, in-home caregiving services, quality assurance monitoring, and the securing of financial independence and asset protection utilizing insurance products from major carriers to pay for long-term care. Mr. Gerber helps family members make difficult long-term care decisions and provides them with the necessary education and resources to plan and manage their long-term health care and financial needs.

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