Home care services are a wonderful feature of today’s advance healthcare industry. By enabling much-needed medical and non-medical services to be provided and performed at home instead of a facility, senior individuals and those suffering from illness, injury, or disability are able to continue living their old lives and fulfilling their interests and hobbies in the comforts of their home. In addition, home health care comes in varying types of services, so a patient receives the care and support they need in accordance with their condition, lifestyle, and preferences.
Although in-home care is all good and well, there is still the issue of the house or place of dwelling itself. When you have an elderly loved one who prefers to live by themselves in their own homes, it is important to make sure that the house in itself would not cause harm, injury, or discomfort to your loved one’s day-to-day living. Fortunately, it is not difficult to make the right modifications or additions to an ordinary house in order to make it safer and more convenient for your senior loved one:
- Pathways and Entrances
- Avoid having steps in entryways of the house. Create no-rise entryways by installing ramps.
- Scruff slippery surfaces outside the house, especially in the pathway leading to the door entrance. You may also add non-slip strips or a smooth but non-slippery footpath.
- Keep at least one entryway covered as much as possible to avoid water-covered surfaces due to rain or snow.
- Kitchen and Pantry
- Use kitchen appliances with easy-to-read controls, and simple, push-button interfaces. Appliances with automatic shutdown features are also preferable in order to avoid accidents.
- Have a side-swing oven for easier accessibility.
- Use an open-shelf design for pantry shelves to allow easy access to items.
- Bathroom and Toilet
- Install durable handlebars in critical areas in the bathroom, such as near the toilet and in the shower area. Make sure the bars can support one’s full weight.
- Add sturdy non-slip flooring or mats, especially in the shower area.
- Ensure that the bathroom has proper lighting to prevent accidents.
- Bedroom and Living Room
- As much as possible, have the bedroom situated on the ground floor to avoid using stairs.
- Arrange the bed and furniture to allow a wide area and easy access for mobility devices such as walkers, wheelchairs, or canes.
Helping Hands Healthcare is a home care service provider in Hawaii. We promote independence for senior individuals by allowing your elderly loved ones to perform the day-to-day activities they want to do and are capable of doing while giving them the special care they need.
We are a reliable and efficient healthcare service provider in Hawaii that works carefully to understand the needs and lifestyle of our clients first before creating a complete care plan that will suit them. With us, you can rest easy knowing that your elderly loved ones are in capable, compassionate, helping hands.
