Retirement is a glorious time for kicking back, having fun, and doing all the things you’ve never had time to do as a working adult. However, in order to keep the good times going, it’s also important to set yourself up for preventing injuries. Senior safety in the home is especially important, given that seniors over 65 account for 71% of home product-related deaths per year, with falls being by far the most common cause.

If you’re planning to age in place, it’s well worth investing in some key safety products for seniors. If you opt for a senior living community, you’ll find many of these top safety features already built in. Here’s an essential home safety for seniors checklist.

Ways To Improve Home Safety for Seniors

Here are some things to consider in making your home safer (and giving you and your loved ones greater peace of mind):

• Address common trip hazards. Trip hazards in the home contribute significantly to falls, injuries, and deaths in seniors. Try to minimize the number of throw rugs you keep in your home and ensure that all of them lie flat at the edges and have non-slip backing. Remove raised thresholds (often metal or wooden strips) between floors in favor of seamless or low-profile ones. If your floors are at significantly different heights, you can install a simple threshold ramp where they meet.
• Eliminate stair-related risks. Statistically, navigating stairs poses significant fall risks for seniors. If you’re currently in a multi-story home, you may want to consider downsizing to a single-story one. This will make everything easier to access and will help to minimize your risk of falls. Alternatively, consider investing in a chair lift or elevator to make using multiple floors safer and easier.
• Install grab bars in your bathroom. Bathrooms have a lot of hard, slippery surfaces, increasing not just your injury risk, but its severity. You can help to prevent this installing a shower chair or textured waterproof mats in your shower or tub to reduce your likelihood of slipping. However, if you do start to slip, you may just save your own life by reaching out for a grab bar. The CDC recommends installing these inside your bathtub or shower and next to the toilet.
• Invest in easy-access cabinetry and storage spaces. You can also avoid fall risks by not having to stand on tiptoe or use step stools to reach cupboards and closet shelves. Move your most frequently used items to cabinets within easy reach. Installing large drawers instead of lower cabinets, a lazy Susan in corner cabinets, and pull-out pantry shelf modifications minimize reaching. Storage ottomans and hanging closet organizers are other creative and inexpensive options.
• Reduce upkeep with low-maintenance finishes. Marble and quartz countertops are pretty, but they’re porous, which means they require more upkeep and can trap bacteria close to the surface. Consider equally attractive (and less expensive) faux stone counters instead. Choose durable, easy-to-clean flooring that won’t snag or curl up at the corners. This will extend the life of your floors, keep your cleaning fuss-free, and may prevent you from tripping as well.
• Purchase smart home tech. It’s well worth letting the latest smart home tech tools make your life easier (and safer). Consider products like:
  • Home security cameras that you monitor from your phone
  • Smart lighting to illuminate dark spaces without the need to find a (sometimes inconveniently located) light switch
  • Smart plugs with timers to save on energy bills, but also to reduce fire hazards with appliances that heat up
  • Voice assistants that let you make phone calls (particularly in emergencies) without having to get to a phone
  • Smart watches with fall detection features and/or pendants with phone call capabilities (these aren't "home" smart tech, but they can help you at home)

Enjoy Top Senior Living Safety Features With Chapel Pointe

Chapel Pointe is a faith-based continuing care retirement community committed to serving and enhancing the quality of life for people aged 62+ in Central Pennsylvania. We’re honored that our greater community sees the servant-heart of our nonprofit organization and consistently selects Chapel Pointe as “The Best of Cumberland County.” Learn more about our exciting options for independent living. Contact us to learn more about our community and general information about pricing and financing.

Since the beginning, our team's mission has been to ensure that every resident is treated with love and the utmost respect. Experiencing our core values—trust, integrity, faith, service, and innovation—lived out every day at Chapel Pointe reassures seniors that they are making the right decision by welcoming us into their lives.