As your loved ones get older, there’s a fine balance that you need to strike between allowing them to maintain their freedom and ensuring that they’re always safe and well taken care of. To fulfill both of these measures, you may want to spend some time in their home ensuring that the items they surround themselves with and the way they have things currently running give them the best chance of being healthy and protected, especially in more dangerous areas like the bathroom or kitchen.
To help you make some changes that may be necessary for your loved one to be in a safe home for them, here are three tips for making the kitchen safer for your elderly loved one.
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Pick The Right Flooring
If you’re unsure of where to start in making your loved one’s kitchen safer for them as they age, you may want to visit an assisted living community to see how they do things. This can give you a good idea of what kinds of materials might work best in the home, especially when it comes to flooring options.
According to AgeInPlace.com, your two main priorities for picking a kitchen flooring is to choose something that’s going to be anti-slip and that doesn’t have a harsh glare from the kitchen lighting. Because things are destined to spill on the kitchen floor occasionally, you’ll want to give your loved one the best chance of staying upright by preventing the floor from getting too slippery when this happens. Additionally, by reducing glare, it will be easier for loved one to see where they’re walking and if there’s anything around them that they need to be careful of.
Bring In A Stool
When cooking, many meals take longer than just a few minutes to make. But as you get older, it can be challenging to stand in the same place and the same position for an extended period of time.
Knowing this, Claire Samuels, a contributor to APlaceForMom.com, recommends that you bring a stool or other seating option into the kitchen. Then, if your loved one needs to rest their feet or legs, they can safely do so while keeping an eye on the food they’re preparing.
Keep Safety Items Close
As your loved one ages, they might make simple mistakes or miscalculations that could put them and their kitchen in physical danger.
To prepare for this, Marlo Sollitto, a contributor to AgingCare.com, shares that you should bring commonly needed safety items into the kitchen. This should include a fire extinguisher, a working smoke detector, and a first aid kit.
If your loved one is still living on their own, consider using the tips mentioned above to help them adjust their kitchen so that they can remain safe in that space.