The growing popularity of medical alert systems goes hand-in-hand with the increasing numbers of seniors who receive in-home care. However, living in your own home independently--despite the regular appointed visits of a professional caregiver and a monthly subscription to a personal emergency alert--would not absolutely guarantee your safety. It is important, therefore, to stay proactive about the whole safety issue by checking your home and identifying which parts or areas pose some kind of threat.
1. Have a fire extinguisher and a smoke detector on every floor of your home. If you live alone, it is significantly helpful to be able to detect smoke or fire as early as possible--without a proper smoke detector, you might only notice a fire
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Always leave a light in your bathroom at night. Just in case you need to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, a lit bathroom reduces your risk of accidental falls or bumping into furniture.
9. As much as possible, take a bath only when there is someone else with you in the house, such as a family member or your in-home caregiver. Accidental slippage or falls in the bathroom are a major concern among seniors and are a leading cause of death.
10. Explore how medical alert systems can complement your current in-home care setup. A medical alert can provide a protective coverage during those hours when your caregiver is not around. If some medical emergency arises, you can call for help at a simple press of the button. The monthly service fee, which ranges from $15 to $30, already includes 24-hour, seven-days-a-week monitoring. You can even choose related add-ons and accessories depending on your medical situation, such as automatic fall detection, automatic medicine reminders or dispensers.
These home safety tips for seniors are by no means the only useful reminders to make sure that your home is absolutely safe for seniors, but they are definitely among the first ones you should prioritize. Aside from these 10 tips, explore and analyze your home situation and make the necessary