Grandmother and granddaughter

How to adapt a home for older grandparents

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In December 2019 my Mum moved in with us and I think we’re all pretty happy with the situation. Mum gets to only work part time and not pay a fortune to live somewhere on her own and we get help around the house and help with Erin. Of course, we love having her live with us for other reasons too! However, we do realise that we might need to make some changes to our home at some point so here are some things that we might consider.

Getting into the house

A problem could occur before someone is able to even get into the house. This could be because there are steps leading up to the front door, which would then need either a ramp putting in or maybe a banister to hold on to. It could be that the lock on the door is a bit stiff and needs replacing as the keys are getting harder to turn or the door sticks when you try to open it.

Bathroom modifications

Maybe one of the more dangerous rooms in the house for older relatives is the bathroom and there could be quite a bit to think about here.

One of the more simple ways to adapt your bathroom is to install grab bars in the necessary places such as near the bath or shower and near the toilet. This will help someone have more stability when getting up and down, or in and out of the bath or shower. Other options in the bathroom are things like bath lifts, walk in baths and seats in a shower.

Safety getting upstairs

If you live in a home with stairs, instead of a bungalow, then you might want to think about how easy it might be for your family member to get upstairs on their own. Stairs can be a tricky aspect of living in a multi-storey home, and even harder if you live somewhere like a three storey townhouse. Considering a stairlift would be a good option here to ensure someone can get up and downstairs safely on their own. Companion Stairlifts have many option including both straight and curved stairlifts so there should be something to suit most people.

Feeling safe at home

Something that might bother the older generation is feeling safe just while they are at home doing their every day things, especially if they are on their own for whatever reason. There are a few things that you can do to help someone feel safer at home. Once of the easiest and more common is to install a better doorbell. You can get door bells that have a video feed so that you can see who is there and door bells that allow you to talk to the person on the other side of the door first.

You might need to make some of these changes immediately, depending on what your family member needs but you might also be able to spread them out and do them as needed.

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How to adapt a home for older grandparents

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