Home Bound 101

Your home may present hazards that were not important before, or there may be steps to take to make it easier to get around. Ask a family member or friend to take a tour of the areas you use to look for hazards and for ways to make the space more useful to you during this period.

For example:

Lighting

• Is it bright enough for you to navigate around safely?
• Alternatively, can the lighting be dimmed when you need it for safety or for someone to tend to you yet be soft enough not to disturb you?

Bathroom

• Consider adding a simple handrail be added to the bathtub.
• Remove rugs that you can trip on.
• Add safety treads where you stand for a shower.

General areas

• Remove scatter rugs
• Eliminate loose electrical cords and other trip hazards
• Add a runner to wooden stairs that can be slippery

If modifications to your home are neeeded, you can find tips at National Aging In Place Council at www.ageinplace.org.  Click on "Practical Advice" on the pull-down menu.  Scroll down to "Making Your Home Senior Friendly"

To locate a contractor with experience in modifying homes for seniors see:

• The National Association of Homebuilders: www.nahb.org, Tel.: 800.368.5242. Type "Hire a Certified Aging in Place specialist" (CAPS) in the search box. 
• The National Resource Center On Supportive Housing And Home Modification, www.homemods.org, , Tel.: 213.740.1364 

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