Diane is a very sweet, congenial lady who has had knee operations on both knees, one of which was subsequently damaged in a fall; her fall risk and fear of falling is high. Before these problems she was active, participating in Health Aging Association Young at Heart exercise classes. Now she is focused on moving around her small, nicely-decorated apartment with a future of getting back to some activity, especially in-person when COVID has declined.
While the kitchen in general appeared to be safe, there was no smoke detector. Her daily activities, however, have been more affected by problems with the bathroom.
She reported that it sometimes took up to ten minutes to get into the shower due to the height of the tub, the angle of approach, and the location of the grab bar. The shower head is movable but high, making it unsafe. Most critically, the toilet height strains her knees.
Smoke alarms add to a person’s safety. Healthy Aging installed one for Diane. In the bathroom a new transfer bench facilitates access to the tub. While there, Diane’s control of the shower head has increased with a low wall-mounted bracket, and a grab bar has helped with exit and entry to the bathtub. A seat riser improves the height of the toilet.
Since Healthy Aging’s visit and home improvements, Diane has had no falls and reports that her fear of falling has been reduced, “Definitely, a lot!” In regard to the whole Dignity at Home program rating, Diane said, “It’s a wonderful program; I would rate it higher than a 5 if I could.” Her fear of falling when getting into and out of the shower is reduced, but of notable significance she enthuses, “My knees have benefited from the toilet riser, a lot!” Article submitted by Health Aging
Home Safety Services is a proud partner with the Healthy Aging Association to help prevent falls.