September is National Fall Prevention Awareness Month. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one in four aging adults reports a fall each year. In 2022, just under 41,000 adults ages 65 and older died from preventable falls, and more than 3.5 million were treated in emergency departments. Those numbers are increasing.
How do you make sure you can age in your home and lower your fall risk? By calling a renovation company that specializes in age in place remedies. (P.S. I have a company that can help!) Insurance companies are also realizing it's more affordable to age in place than pay for full time nursing care. Most have or are establishing funds for visiting nurses, home modifications, and food and medical services.
But what is needed if you want to stay in your home as long as possible? A few things that are helpful.
1. Get everything on the main level. Your laundry should be brought up so that you don't need to do stairs blindly or without hanging on.
2. Minimize your furniture. As you get older, your gait gets wider naturally. By removing trip hazards, you can lower your chances of injury.
3. Add grab bars. Have a set of stairs in your garage? Put a grab bar in. Have a low toilet? Replace with a comfort height and add a grab bar. Have a tub you must use? Install grab bars to help pull yourself up. Grab bars will be your best friend as you age in place and are useful near the bed and by your favorite comfortable chair as well.
4. Bring your kitchen items you use frequently within arms reach. If you need to use a step-stool, purchase one with a rail to assist you.
Now I know you independent boomers are looking at this list and thinking - but my house will be so ugly with all these extra metal bars! Good news! They come in all colors from oil-brushed bronze to black matte and the traditional brushed chrome. Your safety is more important. (And also, would you rather stare at your own walls with a grab bar or the sanitary walls of a hospital or nursing home.
If I can connect you with a renovation specialist to help modify your home for easier living, please reach out anytime!