Mario loves to help as much as he can around his daughter’s home where he lives as a renter. His activities have been affected by damage to his left forearm and hand; these have become almost useless. His fall risk score is 24 out of 30 which is quite high. Having fallen in the past, Mario is fearful of performing his usual tasks. Vanessa
wants him to feel more confident to be up and around the house, building strength to maintain his
independence to a longer, productive life. She has installed cameras which can monitor her father
as well as the house, has removed throw rugs, and made sure that he has sturdy and comfortable
chairs.
The path to the hallway bathroom that Mario uses is clear, but Healthy Aging has facilitated some
improvements once he is there. Rather than using the towel rack to get in and out of the shower/tub
combination to maintain his balance, Mario now has vertical and horizontal grab bars in the shower
to help him get it and out. A toilet frame assists Mario in getting on and off the seat. Besides
these, a major improvement in the home consists of the grab bar at the door from garage to kitchen;
this is the path for taking out garbage and helping with laundry.
With the home improvements and the verbal and written documentation provided about home safety,
Mario’s fear of falling has been greatly reduced. Vanessa now has ideas for other improvements that can be made. They both rated the program with a score of 5 out of 5! Satisfied with the information given and the equipment installation, she stated, “we are very grateful for the knowledge and support in an area that’s very new to us.” Article submitted by Health Aging
Home Safety Services is a proud partner with the Healthy Aging Association to help prevent falls.