Top 5 Home Safety Tips for Seniors

Many of us are responsible for the care of an elderly individual, be it a friend or loved one. Often, a person's later years give us a great opportunity to love and care for someone that loved and cared for us when we needed it. Even so, it's not a requirement that every senior must live in a retirement home. Plenty of older individuals are capable of living on their own, but when this is the case it's important that proper safety measures are kept in place at all times.

1. Minimize Falling Hazards. Falling is definitely the number one health risk for elderly individuals. This type of accident gets reported more than any other, so you should take care to make sure that any and all falling hazards are removed from an elderly person's home. This includes a variety of things, but electrical cords are among the most common offenders. Make sure these are tucked away, and are not easily tripped over. It's also important to make sure the floor stays free of clutter, that stairs have secure handrails, and that any slippery surfaces are avoided or cleaned immediately.

2. Clearly Label Important Things. It can be tough for a senior citizen to see sometimes, so it is important that everything is clearly labeled and easily understood. One of the best places to do this is on medicine bottles. Those little labels can be tough to see. Make sure you're able to outfit your supplements with clear wording on large labels, so you can guarantee that the right pills are taken. You can also label things like appliances, or just about anything that might be tough for a senior to see clearly.

3. Have an Emergency Alert System in Place. There are a variety of support systems that you can purchase for an elderly person living at home. Many individuals go with something like an emergency call device that will alert the proper authorities when there is an issue. Sometimes, senior citizens fall down and injure themselves when nobody's around to help them. If this type of thing happens, an emergency alert system is the best way to get assistance.

4. Make the Bathroom an Accident-Free Zone. The lavatory poses a lot of potential danger to a senior citizen. Make sure you have things like a non-slip mat and a handrail in the bathtub or shower. This will make it easier to enter and exit, and will seriously reduce the risk of a nasty fall. It's also smart to make sure the water doesn't get too hot -- keep things below 120 degrees to avoid scalding.

5. Keep Lights and Smoke Detectors Current. Replace the batteries in your smoke detectors and keep lightbulbs fresh at all times. This way you will be able to avoid a fall due to lack of visibility. Similarly, the smoke and/or carbon monoxide detectors can wind up saving your life in a serious way. There are a lot of popular quotes that refer to the importance of home safety, but this issue is doubly important when you're a senior citizen. Keep these strategies in mind, and you can make sure that you're not putting yourself or someone you love at undue risk.

For online security, seniors should ba aware of Internet security and use anti-virus and anti-spyware software on their computer. When using public WIFI, a good VPN service can be used to maximize online security.