4 Ways To Make Your Home Safer for Seniors in Vancouver

When you’re welcoming your senior parents into your home, their safety is your highest priority. Fortunately, there are some upgrades and additions you can make to almost any house to improve its security and give you peace of mind.

Reach out to an expert on renovations and home repairs for seniors to learn about safety options to accommodate your aging parents. Here are four ideas they’re likely to recommend.

Evaluate Flooring

When little ones slip and fall at home, they often suffer only a few bumps and bruises. Unfortunately, the damage from even the smallest of falls increases with age. Hip, wrist, and knee joints are more susceptible to sprain and breakage, as both balance and agility diminish over time as cartilage weakens.

Turning a critical eye to home flooring and replacing dangerous surfaces with safer ones limits the impact of slips and trips. Lower-pile carpet is generally safer than plush and provides cushioning in the event of a fall, while cork flooring is a softer alternative to tile and hardwoods that still allows for easy wheelchair travel. Whatever flooring option you choose, avoid adding area rugs and keep room-to-room transitions low to minimize tripping hazards.

Install Wall Supports

Having something to grab onto provides stability when walking, sitting, or rising from a seated position. For safer maneuverability around the house and within rooms, install safety bars and railings along walls at arm level.

In bathrooms, grab bars should be positioned near the toilet, in the shower, and surrounding the bathtub. Elsewhere, add rails near steps and along hallways, and consider cushioned bars near your parents’ bedside so it’s easier for them to get in and out of bed and roll over at night.

Replace Showers With Walk-in Tubs

Bathroom surfaces like sink-in tubs and shower floors are often wet and slippery, representing a danger to anyone with compromised balance. Pulling out traditional tubs and showers and replacing them with walk-in bathtubs makes bathing much safer while still giving your parents a sense of privacy and independence.

If flexibility is important, talk to a plumber about portable tub models. In most cases, as long as a water line is available and the flooring is stable, a moveable walk-in bathtub is an option for any room.

Add a Security System

Last but not least, installing a camera security system allows you to remotely check on your parents’ safety when they’re home alone. Motion detectors keep track of comings and goings, so if your senior parent is at risk of wandering off you’ll be warned that a designated boundary has been crossed. Look for a system with battery backup so the connection is maintained even if there’s a power failure.

Some security services incorporate wall- and floor-level panic buttons, allowing anyone who’s fallen to signal distress and summon help. Wearable bracelets and pendants that detect falls are also available to quicken response time in the event your parent can’t trigger an alert on his or her own.

Connect With Handyman Connection

When your top priority is providing your parents with a safe living environment, contact an expert in remodelling and repair services in Vancouver to evaluate your home. Reach out to one of Handyman Connection’s professionals to discuss ways to make your house more secure for everyone and to get your projects underway.

At Handyman Connection, we pride ourselves on working with only the most friendly and helpful service professionals in Vancouver. Whether you need simple repairs or complete renovation and remodelling work, our team provides the quality workmanship and top-notch customer relations you deserve. For any home or business tasks you need to be tackled, get started by requesting an estimate from Handyman Connection today!