Keeping your retirement home safe

Some of us retirees have lived in our family home for 30 years. Others have opted for a more carefree lifestyle in one of the many types of resort-style retirement communities or some variation of a continuing care retirement community (See April 5, 2009 post). If you're one of the former group of retirees who just can't let go of the big family home and yard, then you need to think about keeping your retirement environment safe.

As a Home Health Physical Therapist, I have gathered up a lot of ideas for home safety for seniors, and will share some of them with you in the next several blogs. While retirement communities and assisted living apartments have often designed their units with home safety for seniors in mind, many of these principles can also be applied. These may seem like pure common sense, but if you gain even one bit of knowledge that will prevent a fall, I have done my job!

The first area I will address is the bathroom. This is probably one of the most common places that falls occur.

1) Make sure bathroom rugs are securely attached to the floor or have rubberized non-slip backing.

2) Install grab bars in the shower. Make sure they are anchored into studs.

3) Use a tub transfer bench or a shower chair if appropriate.

4) Put non-skid tape or decals on the floor of your tub or shower.

5) Install night lights in hallways, bathrooms, and bedrooms.

6) Keep trash receptacles emptied so debris does not accumulate and spill over onto the floor.

7) Keep shower curtains inside the tub so water doesn’t spill out onto the floor.

8) Wipe up spills promptly.

9) Keep soap within easy reach while you are in the tub or shower, and make sure soap dish is located so soap does not fall out of tub or shower stall onto the floor.

10) Install a fan in the bathroom so steam from the bath or shower does not build up.

11 Organize cabinets so you don’t have to stretch and reach overhead.

12) Use non-skid floor wax, or none at all.

13) Consider using a bedside commode if you have to get up frequently in the night to go to the bathroom.

14) Use a toilet riser or install grab bars if you have difficulty arising from a low toilet seat. Make sure they are securely installed.

Telemedicine

An interesting new development which is an alternative to traditional doctor’s visits is the specialty of Telemedicine. This is a way for retirees to receive medical information via telephone, the Internet or other networks. Telemedicine may be as simple as two health professionals discussing a case over the telephone, or as complex as using satellite technology and video-conferencing equipment to conduct a real-time consultation between medical specialists in two different countries. Telemedicine generally involves communications and information technology instead of hands-on medicine. This can be very important to seniors who are homebound.

As a Home Health Physical Therapist, my colleagues (nurses, occupational and speech therapists) often wish there were more of us to provide these important services to homebound seniors. Telemedicine certainly looks promising to fill part of this ever increasing need for seniors to remain at home and as independent as possible.

Basically, Telemedicine allows patients to visit with physicians live over video for immediate care. Whether you live in the center of Los Angeles or deep in the Brazilian Amazon, Telemedicine is an invaluable tool in Healthcare.

Here's an example of how Telemedicine works every day. Say you have a horrible sore throat and visit your healthcare provider who does an examination and is concerned with what he or she sees. Your provider recommends a referral to an ENT (Ear/Nose/Throat) specialist for a follow up diagnosis and treatment plan. Well, instead of traveling to the nearest specialist, which could be anywhere from a 45-minute drive to an 18-hour boat ride up the Amazon River, your provider connects you directly to the ENT specialist via Telemedicine.

The advantage of this arrangement is that the specialist actually hears your medical history and current condition directly from you and your provider instead of receiving a dictated note in the mail, which all takes time. Meanwhile you are still suffering!

The specialist can diagnose and recommend treatment immediately. And an additional benefit is the the opportunity for your doctor to ask questions and learn from each and every consultation. This continual education will be an immeasurable benefit to all his or her patients.