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Tips For Making A Safe Home Space For Your Senior Parents

Part of having kids is knowing that you will have someone to look after you when you get old.  It’s traditional for children to take care of their elderly parents, as the parents once cared and nurtured the children.  

Taking on the job of looking after the well-being of your parents means that you have to make sure they have a safe place to live.  Take a few moments now to read through some helpful tips for making a safe home space for your senior parents.  

Make an assessment 

Before you take your first steps towards providing a safe space, you have to take the time to really assess the situation.  Take the time to consider the full scope of what your senior parents need.  

If the need is much more than what you feel you can provide, you may need to research senior living facilities in the area.  Your parents could benefit greatly by having the care of a whole team around them every day.  

Light up the living space

If you plan on improving yours or your parent’s home so they are able to age in place, you should focus a good effort on making the home more well lit.  The exterior and the interior of the home should be easy to see at night.  

Lights that illuminate walkways and common areas enough for seniors to be able to see where they’re going will help to cut down on fall risks and injuries from running into corners and walls.  

Take steps to prevent falls

Lighting does help to prevent falls, but there’s more you can do to keep your parents safe.  If you have children, make sure your kids have all of their toys put away before bed time.  

Rearrange furniture if you think it will open up the space, making it easier to move throughout the home.  Make sure there are no leaks or drips from a pet bowl.  

Secure area rugs, so they don’t move around or fold up at the ends.  Sure up electrical cords as well, so there’s no danger of tripping over lamps or other electronics. 

Make the bathroom safer

There’s lots of potential for a mishap in the bathroom when you’re a senior with limited mobility or other health challenges.  Adding a few strategically placed grab bars in the bathroom will make it much safer for your senior parents.  

Make it wheelchair accessible 

Your parents could need to use a wheelchair to get around, and a home that is fully accommodating of that fact is a home that is safer for your beloved senior.  

You may need to have a ramp installed, move some furniture around, or make a few other adjustments to provide a fully wheelchair accessible living space.  

3 Tips For Designing Your House For An Ideal Work-From-Home Situation

If you’re working from home, setting up your workspace can be a little tricky. For those who have all kinds of space, resources, and time, it might be no problem putting a home office together. But for those who are limited in any of these areas, coming up with an ideal workspace can be a bit of a challenge. So if you’re struggling to find something that works for you, here are three tips for designing your house for an ideal work-from-home situation

Get More Comfortable Furniture

While it’s great to have a dedicated work desk that you’re able to sit at each day, many people can find this type of work situation monotonous, especially if you’re free to move around your home as you see fit. So to allow yourself this freedom, you may want to get some more comfortable furniture to furnish your home with. 

If you’re able to, consider getting an ergonomic desk chair to sit at while also having some more casual furniture that you can use. This might include a larger arm chair, a supportive sofa, or even some kind of chaise lounger. But by giving yourself options of where to sit and how to use your home as your workspace, you may find yourself being more productive and creative.

Go Where There’s Natural Light

One of the most ideal features for any workspace is natural light. And since almost all homes have at least a few windows that can bring in natural light, you should try to design your home and your workspaces so that you can take advantage of this light. 

Ideally, you should try to sit so that there isn’t direct light streaming down on any screens you’re using, as this can cause a lot of unnecessary eye strain while you’re working. But if you can sit next to a window or facing a window, you’ll start to feel much more energized during your work day and can stave off feelings of lethargy. 

Look For Items With A Dual-Purpose

If you’re wanting to really integrate your workspaces with your living spaces, try to put your focus on getting pieces that serve a dual-purpose for you. Especially when space is limited, finding furniture that can also serve as storage space can make both your work and your home aspects of life much easier. You could also get creative with what you consider to be your “work desk” by working on the surface of a table or even a shelf or credenza that you’re already using as storage. 

If you’re going to be working from home from now on and want to make your home a space where you can love working and living, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you design your home for this situation.