Making Your Home Elder Accessible

Now you’ve decided to move your parent into your home because it is no longer safe for them to remain in their home alone. But what’s going to keep them safe in your home? You can’t lock them in their room when you’re not “watching them”. Neither can you constantly monitor their every movement (you have to sleep sometime). The solution is to “parent proof” your home, and keep your home safe for the young and old.

Place “how-to” reminders on appliances.

We first realized that my mother-in-law was struggling with more than just memory when she placed a metal fork in the microwave. It fried the microwave and nearly started a kitchen fire. She’s done things like try to cook rice in the Keurig, left food cooking in the oven or on the stove, and put things in the microwave without starting it (and expecting results). She frequently forgets how to operate these appliances but gets frustrated when given instruction. As such, I’ve laminated “how-to” reminders and attached them to the appliances she uses or is safe for her to use (the Keurig, the microwave, and the refrigerator). These reminders detail the usage steps down to “place cup under Keurig spout” and “remove all utensils before closing microwave door”.

Make pathways clear of clutter.

When we first moved in, my mother-in-law’s home looked like the home of a wannabe hoarder. There was clutter EVERYWHERE. Because of this, her risk of falling was inevitable heightened. We would literally be walking through a maze of furniture, knickknacks, and even trash to get from the bedrooms through the living room with the hopes of reaching the kitchen.

We removed all the “extra”; anything unnecessary or without function was thrown out, stored, or sold. I have area rugs in the main living areas to help define walk ways. To encourage my kids to keep these pathways clear we have several “pick-up sessions” during the day where we move all our toys to the rugs clearing our walkways. As part of our evening routine, everything is put away. Additionally, all rugs have slip-proof pads to minimize tripping.

Keep decor simple and functional.

Along with keeping clutter at a minimum, all our furniture is simple and functional. We have a large, open main living space. The furniture is arranged so that pathways are obvious and my mother-in-law (and toddler!) can grab a piece of furniture if she needs steadying. I’ve removed the traditional coffee table because it became a tripping hazard and use end tables instead.

I keep the “kitsch” minimal. I found two main issues with table decorations: 1. My mother-in-law likes to scoot these decorations aside to put down a cup or plate (or even tries to sit the cup or plate directly on the decoration as if it wasn’t there), and 2. Several mornings I woke up to find it had all mysteriously disappeared, only to discover these collected treasures in a pile in her room. So decor is limited to the functional and wall adornment.

Put a battery-powered nightlight in every room.

My mother-in-law likes to wander at night. Several months ago we had a storm that knocked out our power. I have never in my life experienced such a darkness. My mother-in-law disregarded the darkness and made her nightly “rounds” anyway. I could hear her run into furniture and had to guide her back to her room and put her flashlight in her hand. Shortly after, my husband and I bought battery powered nightlights should this ever happen again. We have under cabinet lighting in the kitchen, a nightlight in the bathroom, a nightlight in the kids room (so she can see it’s occupied and not bother them), and a nightlight in the living room.

Initiate a before bed “lockdown”.

I know at first glance this sounds harsh, but it is necessary in our home. Before we go to bed, all outside doors are locked. Pretty typical, right? We have to take it a step further. All appliances are shut down and locked (most appliances now come with child safety locks that prevent usage). We have child locks on our refrigerator, pantry, and cabinets to keep her from trying to make a meal (I leave out an appropriate snack). This is necessary not only for her diabetes but also for all our safety. Our master bedroom has two doors, one in the bedroom and one going into the laundry room. The laundry room door is shut and locked so her only access to our room is through the main door.

Keep a “clean counter” policy.

Every night as I clean the kitchen I sweep the counters. Everything is put away. We quickly learned that anything left on the counters would be taken, eaten, or thrown away. I’ve left sorted mail on the counter only to have to dig through the trash the next morning. Over a 1/2 gallon of koolaid was consumed in one night. I left pie scented wax melts out and woke the next morning to find a bite had been taken out of the wax (kudos to the creator on it’s “good enough to eat” fragrance). After these experiences and more, I found the best course of action is to have nothing on the counters when we go to bed.

Install safety bars in showers and tubs.

My mother-in-law has a fear of showering. Part of that fear is falling. No one wants to think they’re going to fall. Having the bars in the shower gives her mobility and greater confidence and reduces the risk of injury. Additionally, we had the tub replaced with a walk-in shower with a shower bench.

Install ramps where you can.

We have a large step-down to get to our garage. My mother-in-law can no longer safely navigate this step so we installed a ramp. The ADA recommends for every one inch you need twelve inches of ramp incline. So for our 6 inch garage drop-off, we installed 6 feet of ramp. We have ramps leading off the porch into the yard and a ramp leading to our pool and deck.

Add bells and whistles.

I mean this literally. My mother-in-law was having trouble getting out of her chair safely so I gave her a bell to call me to help her from her room. I have a friend whose mother is further along in her disease and often tries to leave the house at night. She installed bells on all her doors, including her mother’s so she always knew when her mom left the room. We keep a baby monitor in the kids room so we know if she wanders in there and tries to disturb them. We’re prepared to move a monitor into my mother-in-law’s room and main living spaces as well. Safety above privacy.

Safety and functionality above all else.

When we first moved into my mother-in-law’s home, her bedroom was horrible. It was dark and dreary. There was furniture everywhere. The clutter was overwhelming. In the first few weeks she would fall almost daily, most of the time because she was trying to bypass clutter or retrieve something beyond her reach. To fix this, we removed literally everything from her room, repainted it a soothing lilac, and added some decorative moldings and shelving for her massive book collection. We moved only her necessary furniture pieces back into her room – a bed, a chair, a nightstand, and a footstool. Everything else was sold or donated. Even this minimalist decor we ran into some issues. We originally put in a complicated lift chair but soon discovered the remote was too complicated for her to use.

As your parent ages their needs will change. Just like with your children, you and your environment have to change with it. While it seems daunting, these changes and improvements don’t have to happen overnight. The important thing to keep in mind is you want your parent to feel safer and more comfortable (dare I say more independent) than they did while living alone. Making your home elder accessible will allow them to move freely about your home and keep you from feeling as overwhelmed with the pressures of caregiving.

Install safety bars in showers and tubs.

My mother-in-law has a fear of showering. Part of that fear is falling. No one wants to think they’re going to fall. Having the bars in the shower gives her mobility and greater confidence and reduces the risk of injury. Additionally, we had the tub replaced with a walk-in shower with a shower bench.

Install ramps where you can.

We have a large step-down to get to our garage. My mother-in-law can no longer safely navigate this step so we installed a ramp. The ADA recommends for every one inch you need twelve inches of ramp incline. So for our 6 inch garage drop-off, we installed 6 feet of ramp. We have ramps leading off the porch into the yard and a ramp leading to our pool and deck.

Add bells and whistles.

I mean this literally. My mother-in-law was having trouble getting out of her chair safely so I gave her a bell to call me to help her from her room. I have a friend whose mother is further along in her disease and often tries to leave the house at night. She installed bells on all her doors, including her mother’s so she always knew when her mom left the room. We keep a baby monitor in the kids room so we know if she wanders in there and tries to disturb them. We’re prepared to move a monitor into my mother-in-law’s room and main living spaces as well. Safety above privacy.

Safety and functionality above all else.

When we first moved into my mother-in-law’s home, her bedroom was horrible. It was dark and dreary. There was furniture everywhere. The clutter was overwhelming. In the first few weeks she would fall almost daily, most of the time because she was trying to bypass clutter or retrieve something beyond her reach. To fix this, we removed literally everything from her room, repainted it a soothing lilac, and added some decorative moldings and shelving for her massive book collection. We moved only her necessary furniture pieces back into her room – a bed, a chair, a nightstand, and a footstool. Everything else was sold or donated. Even this minimalist decor we ran into some issues. We originally put in a complicated lift chair but soon discovered the remote was too complicated for her to use.

As your parent ages their needs will change. Just like with your children, you and your environment have to change with it. While it seems daunting, these changes and improvements don’t have to happen overnight. The important thing to keep in mind is you want your parent to feel safer and more comfortable (dare I say more independent) than they did while living alone. Making your home elder accessible will allow them to move freely about your home and keep you from feeling as overwhelmed with the pressures of caregiving.