A Room-By-Room Look at Making Your Home Safer for the Elderly

by Lesley Clarke · 9th December 2021

Focus on Disability - For Disabled People, the Elderly and their Carers in the UK

Home can seem like a safe environment, one of the few that is predictable and presents few hazards. Yet, this isn’t true at all, especially not for seniors.

This guest post was contributed by Cassie Green, MS, writer and website manager for Kapok Aging and Caregiver Resources.

In fact, more than 50% of all falls happen within the home and these falls can easily lead to injury, long-term health problems, and even death. Such statistics clearly show why it’s critical to make the home environment safe for seniors.

And falls are just one problem. There are many other ways that seniors can come to harm at home, like by cutting themselves, starting a fire, or hitting their head.

In this post, we’re taking a room-by-room look at how you can make the home safer for seniors. Many of the suggested changes aren’t difficult at all. In fact, small tweaks are often powerful for improving safety and making life easier.

Room-by-Room Safety

Kitchen
Living Room
Bathroom
Bedroom
Hallways
Outdoors/Garden
Throughout the House

Kitchen

The kitchen is an excellent place to begin, as there are so many hazards. Thankfully, there are plenty of easy ways to make things safer.

The Stovetop

Most stovetops present a minor fire risk. This becomes more significant for seniors who may forget to turn the element off or may wear loose clothing when cooking.

The safest option is to turn to an induction stovetop, as these use indirect heat through a magnetic current and dramatically reduce the risk of fires.

If you can’t change the stovetop, take other steps, including:

Avoid storing flammable objects near the stove (watch out for curtains too).
Make sure the senior is careful about their clothing when cooking.
Make sure there is a working smoke alarm at all times.
Talk to the senior about what to do in the case of a fire, which includes not trying to put it out themselves.

Cabinets and Shelves

Cabinets and shelves should all be at a useful height, so the senior doesn’t need to stoop or use a step stool to reach anything.

Make sure that they all work property too. The last thing you need is a cabinet that regularly gets stuck and needs a good yank to open.

Flooring

The kitchen floor is of particular importance.

Many kitchens have tiled floors or even marble. Such floors make cleaning easy and look fantastic. They can also lead to slips. Plus, slipping on something as hard as marble is always painful.

Vinyl tends to work better, as it is slip-resistant and doesn’t have the same hardness as marble or tile. Cork works well too, although it doesn’t look nearly as good as vinyl flooring.

Other options include rubber and carpeting. Rubber is actually the safest choice and is worth entertaining as an idea, even if you’re not convinced about the appearance.

Other Approaches

Make sure that small appliances, like toasters, have an automatic shut-off, so that it doesn’t matter if seniors forget about them.
Focus on easy-to-use levers on cabinets rather than knobs.
Test and replace appliances regularly to keep them in working order.
Appliances with large buttons and clear font may be easier for seniors to operate.

There are other, more ambitious approaches to kitchen safety as well, like making sure the countertops are at the right height for the person using them and providing ample room for wheelchair and walker movement. These can be helpful if you’re designing a new kitchen, but might not be practical if you are working with an existing kitchen.

Living Room

As with other rooms, keeping the living room well-lit and clear from trip hazards is critical. Be particularly careful of rugs here, as they’re a common trip hazard. Cords are significant too, especially if you have various electronic devices in the room.

Chairs should be easy to get into and out of, as seniors often find standard furniture difficult to use as they age.

Key ways to make furniture suitable include the following:

Look for chairs that are naturally taller, preferably those with sturdy arms that the senior can use for leverage.
Use furniture raisers to increase the height of chairs or couches.
Use cushions or pillows to easily raise the seat height.
Avoid furniture that is too soft, as people tend to sink into them and it becomes difficult to stand up.
Look for products that make standing up easier. For example, some devices can be secured under a couch or chair and provide handles to help people stand.
You can also find adjustable tilting armchairs. These can be amazing for seniors, making life that much simpler.
Make sure that all furniture is stable and doesn’t wobble.

It’s also important to make the room suitable for the senior’s use.

What do they do there most of the time? Are they watching TV? If so, is the TV large enough and easy to hear? Can they operate the remote without a problem?

What about temperature? How can you make sure the room is warm enough in winter and cool enough in the summer?

Bathroom

The bathroom is particularly important for safety, as it’s very easy to slip. As always, keeping things well-lit is essential.

Reducing Slip Risk

It’s important to make the floors slip-proof as well. Vinyl is a popular choice, although some types of wood are slip-resistant too.

Specially designed bathmats and non-slip decals can help to reduce slip risk too. Just make sure to test these carefully first, as low quality products sometimes cause more harm than good.

For the bath and the shower:

Consider using non-slip mats in the base to reduce the risk of falls.
Shower stools allow seniors to sit rather than stand when they are showering, which can be ideal.
Step free showers are much safer than those with steps.
Hand held shower sprayers can make the showering experience much easier, reducing the amount of movement needed and thus lowing the risk of falls.

see our listing of Shower Chairs, Shower Stools and Commodes

Toilet Height

Pay attention to the toilet height too. Miscalculating the height can even lead to an unfortunate back or leg strain.

Many seniors will find that the regular height of the toilet is too low. Seat risers are an easy way around this issue. Some also have handles, making it even easier for seniors to get up and down.

See our product listing to make toileting easier and more comfortable:

Burn Risk

Make sure that hot and cold water taps are well labelled and that the hot water will not run too hot.

Adjust your water heater thermostat to no more than 120 F, which is the setting recommended by most. Anti-scald devices can be important here, significantly reducing the risk of burns.

Other Areas

Finally, grab bars can be important. These make it easier for the senior to stay stable on their feet.

The best types are attached to the wall (you might need to get a handyman in to make sure the job is done right). These grab bars won’t move, making them very reliable.

You can find suction grab bars as well. Some products are well designed and promote safety. But, choose carefully and test well! Get your sturdy grandson to test out their strength. These types of grab bars can easily slip if misapplied or if they’re low quality. If they lose their grip when the senior’s weight is on them, they could lead to a serious accident.

See our product and gadget listing to make bathing and showering easier and safer:

Bedroom

One of the most important things in the bedroom is making sure seniors can get in and out of the bed safely, without stress.

Doing so may involve raising or lowering the height of the bed, using furniture risers that go under each foot.

You can also find pull-up devices that attach under mattresses or bedrails that go along the side of the bed. Both of these can help seniors to sit up independently.

The bedroom should also be well lit with clear paths.

This is crucial, as seniors will often need to visit the bathroom during the night. Doing so in the dark can easily be disorientating. Having a torch in the bedside drawer can be helpful.

Alternatively, make sure there are easy-to-use light switches (rocker switches are particularly useful).

See our product listing to make your bedroom safer and more comfortable:

Hallways

Hallways should be well-lit and kept clear from trip hazards.

Sensors that you can plug in and light up upon detecting movement are a good option for the senior that needs to make their way through the hallway to visit the bathroom.

While many of us like decorating hallways, it’s often best to keep things minimal, so that the senior has more space to move.

See our product and gadget listing to make life easier and safer around the home:

Outdoors, the Garden, and Entryways

There should be an easy path from the driveway to the entrance of the house, one that’s free from cracks and hazards (particularly for seniors using a walker or wheelchair).

Step-free entrances are ideal. Installing a ramp can help too. If this isn’t possible, handrails can help to make the steps safer.

It may be possible to widen existing doorways or change the hinges on doors to create more space. Doing so can become critical for seniors with mobility issues or who rely on mobility devices, such as walkers or wheelchairs.

For gardening, make sure the senior isn’t straining themselves to get up and down. Garden seats can help, especially those with handles for leverage. You might also consider raised garden beds.

Think about the type of tools they’re using. Some seniors may need to avoid sharp implements, particularly if they’re somewhat clumsy or have declining vision.

Throughout the House

Thus far, we’ve been focusing on room-by-room approaches. But, some ways of making the home safe apply across the entire house – including the following.

Lighting

Having a well-lit environment is crucial, as this allows seniors to see where they’re going and reduces the risk of confusion. Natural lighting is ideal during the day, but you may need additional lighting in some rooms.

Lighting at night matters too, including night lights and lights down the hallway.

Consider having movement-sensitive lights or lights that are always on but dim. This way seniors can see where they are going at night without needing to fumble for a light switch.

Having Enough Space

Homes can get easily cluttered, which increases the risk of accidents. Keeping areas clear is an important first step here. This way there’s nothing for people to trip over.

This is especially important in households with kids or pets (or both!). Such household often have toys everywhere, which make for a serious trip hazard. If you have young children and seniors in the same house, you might need dedicated spaces where children can keep their toys, while shared rooms stay toy free.

You might need to go a step further, particularly if the senior is using a walker or a wheelchair.

For example, at one point when I was caregiving, we had to literally remove the toilet door and install a curtain instead, as there wasn’t enough space any other way.

Sometimes you may even need to find ways to make doorways wider.

Removing Rugs and Loose Cords

Rugs and cords are some of the most common trip hazards around the home.

Part of the problem is that many don’t seem that significant. Perhaps you’ve had the same rug in the lounge for years, one that the senior is familiar with. Then, one day they trip over the edge of it and hurt themselves badly.

Such situations happen for everyone, but while young people can easily recover, a senior may end up having a serious fall.

You can take down rugs to make them safer. Still, doing so often isn’t entirely effective and the rug might come up again at the edges.

It may be better to bite the bullet and get rid of the thing entirely.

Final Thoughts

Making the home safer doesn’t need to be expensive or complicated. Even just a few of the ideas we’ve suggested could make a huge difference to the senior’s safety and wellbeing.

Of course, the living environment is just one part of the equation.

It’s also important to think about the seniors themselves.

For example, call alert buttons are an easy way to make sure that they can contact you if any problem occurs. Make sure that they have comfortable non-slip footwear as well, as this will reduce the risk of falls.

Finally, remember that different people need different solutions.

If the senior is very independent, approaches like improving lighting, removing trip hazards, and installing a few handrails might be enough. But, if the senior struggles to walk or do things on their own, you might need to make many more changes around the home.

A Room-By-Room Look at Making Your Home Safer for the Elderly

Home can seem like a safe environment, one of the few that is predictable and presents few hazards. Yet, this isn’t true at all, especially not for seniors.