Making Sense of Senior Safety

Posted on

Jan 09, 2019

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Observing the safety hazards in a seniors home is one thing. Living them is another.
Its not always easy to understand the physical limitations older adults face that could make home a virtual minefield for an aging parent.

According toresearchconducted by the Home Instead Senior Carenetwork, nearly 100% of emergency room doctors in the U.S. and Canada report that the following health conditions are very serious risk factors as potential causes for injuries or accidents at home:

Mobility Problems

Poor Eyesight

Balance Issues

Confusion or Dementia

Impaired Motor Skills

As time goes on, the effects of aging could impact all senses including hearing, vision, taste, smell and touch. These sensory changes often affect an older adults lifestyle as well. Its a domino effect, of sorts, that might make a senior vulnerable to safety issues in the home.

Poor eyesight, for instance, could make it more difficult to see a throw rug, safely use a knife to cut an apple or take the proper dose of medication.

Agings Effects on the Five Senses

The following describes how aging can compromise the fivesenses:

Sight:By the time someone is 60, pupils decrease to about one-third the size they were at age 20. Add to that aging-related eye conditions such as cataracts and macular degeneration.

Taste:We start out with about 9,000 taste buds. They decrease in both number and mass with aging.

Smell:Sense of smell can diminish, especially after age 70, because of loss of nerve endings and less mucus in the nose.

Touch:Decreased blood flow to nerve endings as we age can reduce the sense of pain and temperature.

Hearing:Our ears control hearing and sense of balance, both of which can be compromised as we age.



Making Home Safer for Seniors with Diminished Senses

Its possible to counteract the effects of aging by being proactive.

Discover the ways you could help older adults safeguard their homes by going to www.MakingHomeSaferforSeniors.com by checking out a variety of resources including a room-by-room home safety checklist. .



This article was submitted by Jerri Schomaker, owner and CEO of Home Instead Senior Care and can be reached at 719-534-0908

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