The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that each year around 235,000 people in the United States suffer from serious injuries in their bathrooms. This makes the bathroom the most dangerous room of the house for non-fire related injuries, particularly among senior adults. The risk for these injuries increases with age, with those most injuries occurring in those over the age of 85. As a family caregiver, it is important that you take meaningful steps to help reduce the risk that your parent will suffer a fall or other injury in the bathroom, helping them to not only stay safer but also to maintain more of their independence as they age in place.
Some ways that you can help prevent falls in your parent’s bathroom include:
• Elevate the toilet.
Approximately 14 percent of injuries occur while a person is using the toilet. Elevating the toilet reduces the distance that your parent must sit or stand, helping to minimize the chances that they will lose their balance and fall. This is particularly helpful for those who struggle with strength or flexibility issues in their joints, and balance problems
• Add grips to the bathtub.
More than 30 percent of injuries in the bathroom occur while a person is bathing or showering. This includes getting into and out of the bath, as well as the process of bathing or showering itself. Add grips to the bottom of the tub in the form of textured stickers or a mat to provide friction and reduces slipperiness.
• Add grab bars.
Install grab bars throughout the bathroom, to provide support and balance for a senior while they are walking across the bathroom floor and using the toilet, bath, or shower. Ensure these bars are rated for your parent’s weight and that they are installed properly so that your parent can rely on them.
• Provide seating.
Consider adding a bench or chair to the bathroom so that your parent can sit down while they are styling their hair, shaving, brushing their teeth, or doing other bathroom tasks. This helps to reduce the risk that they will lose their balance and fall.
Starting home care for your aging parent can be one of the best decisions that you can make for them during the course of your caregiver journey with them. An in-home senior care services provider can be in the home with your senior family member on a customized schedule that ensures that they get all the care, assistance, and support that they need, while also keeping you at the front of their care routine. You can feel confident that your loved one will be able to pursue a lifestyle that is safe, healthy, and comfortable while also maintaining as much independence and fulfillment as possible.
When it comes to protecting your parent from falls, this home care provider can help to identify potential hazards in the home and their routine and provide assistance and support during daily activities to address challenges and limitations so that they are able to avoid the potentially devastating consequences of these falls.
For more information about homecare in LaJolla call the friendly caregivers at La Jolla Nurses Homecare who can help your aging parents remain in their own homes, at 858-454-9339. We are a home care agency providing quality and affordable senior care in La Jolla, CA, and the surrounding communities.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/healthy-aging/in-depth/fall-prevention/art-20047358
https://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/falls/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2016/p0922-older-adult-falls.html
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6022a1.htm
Today we are the oldest and most experienced private duty agency in San Diego County.She saw a need for quality private duty home health care and she worked diligently to build an agency that filled that need.I am proud to say, her vision is carried on today with our dedicated staff.
I believe our tenure in the community speaks well for us.We have had the opportunity to be of service to countless interesting individuals, including local and worldwide celebrities.It is the people we care for that makes this a fascinating industry.Whether high profile or a more ordinary citizen, we are proud that thousands have entrusted us with their care or the care of their loved ones.Our Mission is to provide high quality, very secure and the most compassionate home health care.We believe that patients heal faster and are happiest when they can stay in their homes.”
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