Our homes are the place we feel safe, but they can also hide a lot of hazards that can cause us to trip and fall, causing injury. There are a lot of simple things that you can do to make your home safer for people of all ages.
Think about the people in your home
Do you have small children at home, or elderly relatives? Or is it just you? You need to assess the potential trip hazards from their perspective. For example, an older adult may not have excellent vision, and not be able to see things on the floor that are easily identifiable to others. Having small kids in the house is a recipe for finding new things to trip over every five minutes as they leave toys and clothes scattered around the place. Elderly or vulnerable adults might benefit from a fall alarm from a company such as Val-U-Care which specialize in this type of alarm installation.
Fix your flooring
Loose carpets, curled-up rug edges, and ill-fitting lino are all potential ways to get injured in the home. All flooring should be fitted well and not have any damage or raised areas that you can catch with your foot. If necessary, get them replaced.
Use barrier mats
It’s very common to have wooden, laminate, and vinyl flooring in certain areas of the house, especially if they are in areas of heavy foot traffic or are likely to get dirty such as entranceways, hallways, and kitchens. While these types of floors are easier to clean, they can also become very slippery if any liquids get spilled on it is brought in on shoes from outside.
You can avoid this by putting mats down in entranceways and hallways to soak up any liquids before people slip on them. Make sure that they have a non-slip backing or pad as well so that they themselves don’t become a slip hazard. Clear up any liquids on the floor as soon as you notice them.
Remove clutter
Try and live in a clutter-free home if you can. Clear hallways and walkways of any unnecessary furniture or items that could be stored somewhere else.
Secure cables
It seems that everything has a charger or needs to be plugged in these days. That means there are a lot of cables snaking around your home. Make sure that all electrical leads are secured to walls or furniture and never have them across doorways or other areas where people walk.
Clear up
It’s not uncommon for someone to trip or fall on a discarded toy or item that has been left lying around. It could take years for your kids to grow out of this so you’re going to have to get into the habit of picking things up when you notice them so that they aren’t there for an unsuspecting relative to fall over.
Key points
Falling in the home can cause serious injury, or worse. While it’s not possible to prevent every fall, you can reduce the chances of it happening considerably.
