How to Avoid Home Injuries Due to Lack of Mobility for the Elderly
Do you live in a home that is hard for you to get around in? If you?re older, you may struggle to get up and down your staircases. Even getting from one room to the next may be getting more complicated with each passing day. There?s no reason for you to have to leave behind the comforts of your home, though. Just because you can?t move around as easily, doesn?t mean you need to move to a smaller home or an assisted living home. Instead, you can upgrade your home to make it match your needs better. From an ascent stair lift to wheelchair lifts for home, there are plenty of ways to make your home more accessible for all your needs.
Interested in learning more about how to protect yourself by upgrading your home? Keep reading for more information on why it?s essential to be safe when trying to get around in your home and how to do that properly.
Common Mobility Problems the Elderly Struggle With
As you age, moving around gets more difficult. If you are still able to walk and climb stairs, it may take you a little longer to do this. As each year passes, you may become unable to climb your stairs frequently throughout the day or you may struggle to move from room to room. This is not uncommon for people as they age. It simply means you need to reassess how you get around your house and consider ways to improve your situation.
One of the most common disabilities Americans struggle with is having limited mobility. In fact, there are round 53 million Americans that live each and every day with limited mobility. Even with limited mobility, that doesn?t mean you have to stop moving around as much as you would like. All it means is that you have to consider other options for improving your mobility. This is something that 6.8 million Americans have taken the time to do after realizing they had limited mobility. Instead of giving up and staying put, they found ways to get around despite their disability.
How Elderly Individuals Get Injured Due to Lack of Mobility
If you don?t proactively look for ways to improve your mobility, you could be risking your safety. Without the right treatment options and mobility options, you may not be able to safely climb stairs or get from room to room. Many elderly individuals fall and injure themselves. In fact, every 11 seconds an elderly individual goes to the emergency room due to injuries sustained in a fall. The majority of the time, these falls take place at their home. Maybe they didn?t have an ascent stair lift, a handicap accessible bathroom, or a lift chair recliner to make their home more suitable to their needs.
To combat the potential of falling when walking up stairs, it?s best to install an ascent stair lift along with wheelchair lifts to get up and down the stairs. Even if you can currently make it up and down on your own, it?s best to stay prepared and be cautionary. Especially if you live at home alone, you always want to be as safe as possible so that you are not injured and alone with no one to help you get to the hospital.
Another instance in which you can upgrade your home to improve your safety is in the bathrooms. The CDC reports that around 235,000 people get injured in their bathrooms every single year. There are plenty of ways to resolve this issue for the elderly with limited mobility by installing bathroom accessibility products like seats in the shower. That way the individual doesn?t have to stand for too long in a slippery space on their own. You can also make sure you install enough bath mats to make the area less slippery.
Have you considered upgrading your home with any of these products like the ascent stair lift to make moving around the house easier and safer? Which will you install to improve your home? Let us know in the comments about your experiences dealing with limited mobility.