Senior Care News

Doors and Your Elderly Loved One’s Safety

Senior Care in Massapequa NY

A big part of your elderly loved one’s safety at home can come down to doors. These suggestions can help you to check how safe your loved one’s situation is and make changes.Senior-Care-in-Massapequa-NY

Dealing with Interior Door Locks

Your elderly loved one needs and wants privacy now and again, but door locks can be a dangerous thing. If something should happen and you can’t get to your elderly loved one because the door is not only shut, but also locked, that’s a huge concern. One way around this is to keep a tool handy that can pop open interior door locks. The only problem with that can be misplacing the tool or not having it handy exactly when you need it. The other option is to replace the existing knobs with ones that don’t have locks in them.

Interior Doors that Open Into the Room

Many interior doors of the home open into the room, which for the most part makes sense. From a safety standpoint, though, that doesn’t always make sense. If your loved one should fall, for example, and land against the doorway, it’s going to be difficult to gain entrance to that room to provide assistance unless there is another way into the room. One solution is that you can contact a handyman to move the door hinges so that the door opens into the hallway.

Consider Installing an Alarm System

Exterior doors pose their own unique problems, particularly if your loved one has Alzheimer’s disease or is otherwise prone to wandering. One fix is to install an alarm system that alerts you audibly when an exterior door is opened. That way you know to check whether your loved one has left the house or not. If you don’t want to go the route of a full alarm system, there are door alarms that you can use at each exterior door.

Hide or Camouflage Exterior Door Locks

In extreme cases, you might need to lock exterior doors and make sure that they stay locked. One way to do this is to make the lock considerably higher or lower on the door than most people would think to look. You could also install a deadbolt that requires a key on both sides of the door.

If you need additional help with door safety, talk with your loved one’s senior care providers about ways to make the home safer for your elderly loved one.

If you or an aging loved one are in need of senior care in Massapequa, NY or the surrounding areas, contact the caring professionals at Star Multi Care Services today at (631)956-8835. We are the Right Choice for Home Health Care Services!

Stephen Sternbach

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