Home Care Assistance: Winter weather is on the way and it’s important that seniors aging in place make sure that their homes are ready for the cold weather.
Seniors often become isolated during the winter when the weather is bad and cold and they are stuck indoors so making sure that their indoor space is safe and comfortable is very important. Regular visits from a home care assistance provider are a great way to make sure that your senior loved one is healthy and safe. Home care assistance provider visits also give seniors the social interaction and human connection they need during the winter when they are forced to stay indoors. Some basic things you can do to make your senior loved one’s home safe for winter include:
Install A Carbon Dioxide Monitor
If your senior loved one doesn’t already have a carbon monoxide detector in their home they should have one on each floor. With the furnace being on all the time and your senior loved one possibly using space heaters or electric fireplaces for additional heat there is a greater risk of the carbon monoxide levels in the house getting to a dangerous level. A carbon monoxide detector will warn your senior loved one and you if there is a problem with the CO2 in the house.
Replace Smoke Detector Batteries
There is also a greater risk of a house fire during the winter season so now is the perfect time to change the batteries on all the smoke detectors in the house and make sure they are all in good working order. If your senior loved one is getting hard of hearing you might want to put in a fire alarm and carbon monoxide alarm that flashes a light as well as sounding an alarm so that your senior loved one won’t be able to miss it if the alarm goes off.
Add More Lighting
It’s going to be getting dark early which means that your senior loved one probably needs more light in order to move around safely. Instead of adding floor lamps or lights that need to be turned on and off install motion sensor lighting in the hallways, stairway, and in rooms like the bathroom or kitchen so that the lights will go on automatically if your loved one moves around. Motion sensor lights will also turn off automatically so that your loved one won’t have to walk around in the dark after turning the lights off or be forced to leave the lights on.
Home Care Assistance: Replace Space Heaters With Electric Fireplaces
Space heaters can be a great way to heat up an individual room but they can also be dangerous. Space heaters on the floor with long cords can be a big tripping hazard for seniors. If you want to give your senior loved one something to warm up just the room they are in so that they can keep their heat bill how to install an electric fireplace instead of using a space heater. Electric fireplaces are cozy and warm but won’t be a tripping hazard or a fire hazard like a space heater. Home care assistance providers can be a great help with keeping things out of the way.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering Home Care Assistance in Newtown, CT, please contact the caring staff at Elderly Caregivers, LLC today. (203) 628-7438
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