Your senior’s stairs might be one of the more dangerous spots in her home. By paying attention to stair safety, you can reduce that risk for her.
Keep Obstacles Off the Stairs
If your senior or other family members are in the habit of leaving items on the stairs, that’s something that needs to stop. Anything on the stairs could cause your elderly family member to trip or fall and that is definitely something you want to avoid. Make several safety checks of the stairs each day just to ensure they’re clear.
Install Sturdy Handrails on Both Sides
One handrail might seem like it’s enough to do the trick, but you really can’t go wrong with a handrail on each side of the stairway. This gives your senior twice the space to grab if she feels that she’s losing her balance. It also helps to account for steadying her while she’s going up or down the stairs.
Check the Lighting
Lighting makes more of a difference than you might think. What seems like a bright light for you might not be quite bright enough for your senior. Check with her to see how well she’s able to see with the light on and consider ways to automate that light so that she can simply focus on safety while she’s going up or down the stairs.
Double Check the Treads
Stair treads take quite a beating, so it’s important to examine them now and again. If there’s anything that feels loose or that is coming up, it needs to be repaired right away. If there’s carpeting on the stairs, you might want to remove it completely just to make the stairs a little safer.
Consider a Stair Lift
If your elderly family member is particularly unsteady on her feet, a stair lift might be the right answer. These are automated lifts that give your senior a solid, secure seat while they gently carry her up or down the stairs. Used properly, these types of devices can make stairs almost injury-proof.
You may not be able to completely eliminate the danger of stairs in your senior’s home, but you can definitely reduce the risk. You might want to consider working with elder care providers to determine what other areas of her home pose a fall risk, too. With their expertise, you can make her entire home far less of a fall risk.
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