Top tips to make your older relative’s home safer in later life

These days many of us are thankfully living longer and fuller lives. As a result, our parents are also living longer and as they age we may have to start giving more consideration to their well-being and how to make their home safer.

Here are our top tips

Don’t put off the decision to make changes

The sad fact is that in many cases such accidents could have been avoided if people weren’t putting off changes or adaptations ‘until they needed it’ or it’s too late.

The main reasons many people put off having any home improvements or adaptations works are:

• Our parents are reluctant to admit to themselves they actually need such changes and don’t want to be looking at ‘aids & adaptations’ in their own home.
• The thought of having the builders in fills them with dread and they wouldn’t know where to start in terms of sorting it all out.
• For our parents, the signs of slowing down or perceived loss of independence can be quite overwhelming and a very frightening experience.
• Many older parents fight against, and will put things off until the absolute last minute, what they consider to be the permanent physical reminders of their diminishing independence.
•  Most of our parents have put a huge amount of effort (and expense) over the years into making their home the way they want it and are then understandably reluctant towards their bathroom having a look of ‘disability’ or being ‘adapted’.

When there is a natural reluctance to face or undertake home adaptations there is a way forward.

With a bit of careful thought and planning, these days you can make changes to the home that can:

• Significantly improve personal safety across most areas, whilst also dramatically improving the look and feel of the home.
• Allow for further improvements and adaptations fairly easily as and when individual circumstances change and require them.

Kitchens and bathrooms should be a focus

Safe access particularly in and around kitchens and bathrooms can cause a great deal of worry as our parents’ mobility decreases.

Our parents ever-changing personal and health needs combined with the layouts and  fittings of kitchens and bathrooms can become increasingly unsuitable and impractical to their needs. Their current design can be one of the major causes of slips, falls and other accidents which can have serious (and sometimes fatal) consequences for older people.

Not everyone wants or necessarily needs a fully adapted bathroom or kitchen. For example many people will baulk at the sight of a half-height shower screen, fold-down shower stool and wall-to-wall handrails if they are not appropriate for their current circumstances.

A good compromise towards ensuring personal safety, whilst also helping counter some of the psychological barriers involved is:

• To plan and implement changes that improve safety, whilst also improving the look of the room
• To ensure the room can be further adapted quite easily if needed in the future.
• A simple wet-room is a good example; full level access can be achieved to allow safer showering, along with utilising modern lighting, tiling, non-slip floor finishes, and stylish modern fittings and accessories, adding extra mobility and safely features later.

What should be considered when making improvements

When considering any improvements or adaptations works, it’s always worth remembering that the average new bathroom lifespan is about 20-25 years.

If an update is needed now, but your parent is still fairly agile and doesn’t want to use the full range of mobility aids yet, the main works can be completed to achieve a contemporary look, which also provides for safer showering and greater comfort all round.

There are a wide range of comfort-height WC’s available, which wouldn’t look noticeably different to standard, and the same applies to modern lever taps.

Minor changes can then easily be made over the years to meet changing mobility needs, such as:

• Adding extra grab rails/support
• Replacing a full height glazed shower panel with a half-height folding screen
• Adding a curtain if any bathing support is needed.

Whilst personal comfort and safety should always be the primary concern, if the psychological barriers are such that they prevent action, then a phased approach may be the best way to ensure your parent’s safety.

Organising the work can be a real issue

As mentioned above, the thought of organising and ‘getting the builders in’ fills most people, of any age, with dread and this fear often leads to paralysis, in terms of taking things forward.

Very often family support may not be easily available (a recent study undertaken by the RVS charity found that nationally, pensioners live an average of 77 minutes from their nearest close relative). Often even with nearby family support people may not feel they have the time, skills or confidence to be able to help organise a project.

Think about using a project manager

One solution is to appoint your own project manager, who can work on your behalf to organise and oversee everything to completion.

Employing a project manager does add cost to a job, in terms of the fee you will have to pay them. However a good project manager should be able to ensure:

• You’re not paying over the odds for any element of a job
• That the work is being completed by reputable contractors, to agreed quality and safety standards and on schedule.
• Many will also help you get the best pricing through supply arrangements and in ensuring the job is done right first time.
• Your project manager may actually be able to save you money overall particularly on larger scale projects

For anybody undertaking home improvements, and especially in situations where family support is not readily available, one of the main benefits of having a good project manager is the peace of mind you get. You know that everything is being managed professionally on your behalf and that you’ve only got to deal with one person, who is working in your best interests.

When it comes to home safety and enjoying living independently, discussing needs (and wants) with your parent is very important and may lead to an agreement to have some changes made in their home, and if approached in the right way and with their agreement and buy in you may actually find some growing enthusiasm for a bit of a project!

Prime Living UK (Contracts) Ltd is a building project-management consultancy for homeowners, providing specialist support for older persons requiring home improvements and adaptations.

Twitter: @PrimeLivingUK