Globe Syndicate
For
release
The Sandwich Generation . . . Helping Your Aging Parents
by Carol Abaya, M.A.
MODIFY HOUSE TO REMAIN AT
HOME
Question: My father just
died, and my mother, 78, wants to remain in her own house. While she is healthy and independent, we
worry and don’t want her to have an accident.
We live 100 miles away. How can
we protect her?
Answer: No one can really “protect” another person, especially an
elder. This is the same maxim as when
you were raising your children. You can
only create a “safer” environment.
Safety
proofing a house for an elder is like viewing the house as a potential trap
door and “plugging up” the holes. There
are the usual things: grab bars in the bathroom, rubber mats in the tub or
shower; rubber backed scatter rugs; automatic night lights around the house;
new wiring on old lamps and appliances; a cordless telephone.
Rearranging
furniture in key rooms, such as the family room and bedroom, can prevent falls
and stumbling. In the bedroom, placing
the bed against the wall will leave the center of the room open. Middle of the night visits to the bathroom
will be safer as there is no furniture to have to navigate around.
In
rooms with no light switches near the door, place timers on lamps so that your
mother does not have to find her way into the room and fumble for the light
switch.
If
remodeling is done, remove the tub in the bathroom and replace it with a
shower. Or put in a tub that has a
“door” on the side so you mother doesn’t have to climb in and out. Hundreds die each year from bathroom falls.
Other
bathroom safety steps include removing the key or lock from the bathroom
door. (I can remember when I was little
and my mother had to call the fire department to get me out of the bathroom
because I had locked the door. A similar
situation could happen with an elder, and if no one else is home this can be a
disaster.) Also, replace the door so that
it opens outward into the bedroom or hall, rather than into the bathroom. All too often elders fall down and block the
door, so that even if someone else is home access is blocked.
The
kitchen is another place where accidents can happen, and safety proofing is
relatively easy. Roll out shelves make
it easier and safer to get out pots and pans and food. Shelves should be at an easily reachable
height, and rearrangement of food storage, dishes and glasses may be necessary.
A counter microwave is safer than one installed over the stove. And a wall oven
is safer than one in the stove.
Decor
(everything from carpeting to furniture, curtains, table placements, steps and
wall colors) should be contrasting colors to make it easier to see everything.
The outside should be evaluated: steps with easily reachable railings; level sidewalks and decks; a clear path from the driveway to the house; windows that easily open and lock.
Are you juggling doing errands for your aging parents, your children, yourself and working at the same time? Are you tired, stressed out and upset that your once vibrant parent is now frail and needy?
Do you feel alone? Rest assured you are not alone! The Sandwich Generation is dedicated to the 50 million Americans who may have elder/parent care concerns and/or responsibilities.
* * *
Do
you have a question? Send it in. Although letters cannot be answered
individually, appropriate letters will be answered in this column whenever
possible. Letters may be edited. Send letters to Ms. Carol Abaya, mail direct
to her at
Carol Abaya is an international-award-winning journalist and creator of the unique magazine The Sandwich Generation: You & Your Aging Parents.
NOTES TO EDITORS: text = 561 words; other material = 160 words
We would appreciate it if you would include the "Globe Syndicate" bug at the end of the column.