Old Age Parents Living Alone? 5 Things You Can Do To Ensure Their Safety

Are your aging parents living alone in a different place? And, people believe that there is no safer place than a home for old people. This is because they have difficulty because of their slow movements, slow reflexes, and the great ability to safeguard themselves during great situations.

And, if your parents are living in their homes without you, then there can be a rise of emergencies in the house. To avoid this scenario, it is essential to safeguard your home with various safety measures for your elders. So, to help you out, here are seven simple measures that will surely help you to ensure the desired safety of your old-age parents.

1. Keep emergency numbers in-hand

Give your mom and dad a mobile phone and teach them how to make a phone call during tough times. Get a basic mobile phone with extra whistles and bells where there is no need to find excessive options that are unnecessary. Keep the large keypad numbers and a display window feature in the mobile phone.

Set up the call display feature on the phone where your mom or dad can recognize the call from your family members. This makes it easy for them to call an emergency number or family on time.

2. Assure a safe bathroom

The bathroom is the riskiest place in a senior citizen’s home. Your dad or mom can easily fall or scold in the bathroom if no proper care is maintained. So, to assure a safe bathroom make sure to address these issues-

• Set the thermostat on the water heater to prevent accidents.
• To prevent slipping, put rubber mats in the bathtub.
• Put a bathing chair in the tub or shower.
• Install a nightlight in the bathroom to let them find the right way.
• Keep a raised toilet seat accompanied by handlebars.
• Remove the mirror in the bathroom as seeing an unfamiliar face can be startling for your parents suffering from dementia.

3. Ensure health care measures

Oftentimes, parents forget to take their medications, which results in them not being able to stay healthy. In the case that this situation also arises with your parents, there should be someone to remind them about their medications every day. Sites such as Caregiverlist can guide you to a suitable caregiver if that is what you think is best for your parents. We must recognize that support is ultimately best for everyone. It is necessary to understand their medical needs and stay in contact with the doctors.

So, the perfect solution to this is getting the My Medadvisor application on your parent’s mobile phone. The app helps them to manage their medications and stay in control. Medadvisor will help them to take medicines effectively and on time using a virtual pharmacist. 

4. Evaluate your parents’ bedroom

Several possible risks can be encountered in your parents’ bedroom and to keep them safe it is necessary to follow some of the instructions that are discussed below-

• Replace the entire sagging and softer mattress with firmer ones. These are more comfortable and provide better support to the senior family members.
• Fit a telescoping grab in the bedroom that extends with the floor and ceiling. This helps them to get out of bed whenever they want.
• Get a single-lever door knob for the bedroom rather than the round one as it easily opens the door and is easy for the senior citizens of the family.

5. Protection against fire

To ensure the safety of your parents living alone, it is necessary to remove fire hazards from the home. To do so-

• Change the smoke batteries and carbon monoxide detectors regularly after the seasonal time.
• Remove candles from the house.
• Check the cords of all-electric appliances in the rooms. Replace the damaged cords and get a new one.
• Do not use space heaters or if using, ask your parents to turn them off before going to sleep or going out.

Therefore, being aware of these necessary measures will help you keep your parents safe at their place. It is necessary to keep a check at your parent’s home every day and let them stay happy. Follow these five necessary precautions and let your parents live alone in their small happy world.