This list and info is very good. I'm lucky in that I use a walker or cane to get around my house and I've discovered that trying to cook is the most dangerous thing I try to do. For one thing, to hold on to a walker while trying to carry utensils of hot food can be quite exciting. I have had to hire a person to carry my trash out to the cans once a week and holding on prevents me from moving items to be cleaned or washing clothes and putting them away. I have no family and feeling lonely is the second most surprising thing for me. I talk out loud to my indoor cats but cleaning their litter boxes is the third surprise for me. It takes more energy than I remembered when I was 100% whole. The bottom line that is painful to the pocket is how much everything costs to get someone to stop by for an hour or two a week. And if you want a conversation or a real visit like a friend it is less expensive to have computer friends rather than invite someone in to the home. I am most frightened by not knowing how long I'll live and how much more help I'm going to need. It was a lot nicer to be able to have a job, go out to dinner, meet friends and go dancing. Getting old and older ruins the end and people need to plan for it long before they get involved with old age because it is boring and difficult to deal with it when one gets old. Plan while you're still young. Don't buy that new house at 50 with all those stairs. Don't buy that house with the terraced yards or porches, or driveways with no sidewalks to the door. Arrange trash "walk up" with the town's disposal people. Remember to save your money by not subscribing to all the old people businesses like I've Fallen and Can't Get Up which is expensive and isn't necessary because all they do is call 911 when you press their button. Keep your phone and keys in your pocket. Use grocery delivery and choose microwaveable dishes because the front of ovens get hot and legs can be burned. Have a routine and be aware of what you're doing. Use your good intuition because fraudsters find old people to be perfect marks for their scams. Get Robocall and don't answer the phone. Real people will leave a message and you can call them back.
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I found this article which lead us to a lift bed for our grand father.

https://ezliftbed.com/blogs/senior-safety-tips/tips-to-make-being-a-caregiver-of-elderly-people-easier-sleep-to-stand-bed-is-a-must
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Is anyone aware of guidelines for carpets - with senior safety in mind? I am about to replace some carpets in my mother's house and am wondering if there are certain characteristics I should be looking for and/or avoiding.

Thanks in advance for your help!
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Thank you for this helpful room-by-room assessment checklist. There are many items in the home that may increase the risk of a fall. This list helps family caregivers make sure they don't overlook any items or areas that could be hazardous to older adults.
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Thanks for the great list. this is a process. We also installed a lift for the stairs. The toilet is higher, we have new floors, non slip.

So questions to the group:

We need to leave the door unlocked so emergency workers can enter when we are not home. The locks are there but we do not use them.

We had floors that were good, but my Mom wanted rugs, so she got them. I guess we can put tape down to make them safer.

Our costs to make the floor in our house good for her was not expensive, a small kitchen space and commode in the bedroom made a lot of difference.

Our issues:

Alarms. She cannot hear alarms unless she has her hearing aids in. So lifeline, phone, and the whole alarm situation is failing. What can we do.
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My wife has Alzheimer / dementia and has started to move things around in living room, pulling plastic plants out of their flower pots, and even pulling electrical cords out of the wall sockets. Not wanting her to get hurt, I removed all wall pictures that had a glass covering the picture, all imitation plants and decorative trees with flowers, and the vanity tables. I've blocked electrical outlets so she doesn't see the plugs and the ones on the kitchen counter, I've place a bracket so she can't pull those electrical cords out. All drawers have child locks on them so she doesn't go into them and remove the items. All inter doors have locks on them so she's confined to the Living Room and two hallways. She doesn't go outside of the house, so she's safe inside. The Living Room area consist of a sofa, and a television which can not be move because of it's size, and the kitchen has a table and two chairs.
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