Senior Staircase Safety: What You Need to Know

Published on: 02 March 2021 Last Updated on: 10 September 2024

The rates of falls and staircase-related injuries among the elderly continue to increase.

A Queensland government health report states that 100,000 people are hospitalized due to falls. The main causes include slipping, tripping, and stumbling, especially on stairs. Almost 10% of ambulance calls in Victoria attend to elderly patients who have fallen.

This article examines stair safety for senior citizens and how to proactively stop falls.

We explore safety features like stair treads and guard rails. And how the right lighting will protect the physically vulnerable.

Learn about stair safety and consider the elderly by reading these 3 tips. Then make falls and trips a thing of the past.

1. Safety Rails for Staircases:

Stair safety guardrails act as an invaluable support aid when mounting or dismounting stairs.

According to the government’s WorkSafe guide, each stairway should include at least one handrail. If the stairs are wider than 100cm then two handrails are required on either side.

Slippy rails or those too large to grip are worse than useless.

A power grip style that’s rectangular or circular allows the person to hold tight and use the stairs with confidence. There should be no obstructions to allow free movement. And the rails need to be visually significant so they’re easy to see.

2. Stair Treads for Elderly Relatives:

Stair treads are the horizontal part of a stair on which a person steps on.

Treads are often carpeted in elderly residential homes and houses. However, this type of material can rise or bump making the tread a tripping hazard.

Non-slip treads provide a safer environment. Methods include:

rubber or abrasive treads
anti-slip tape
slip-resistant nosing

Nosing is the edge of the stair where footfall is greatest. Stairs without firm nosing will see a higher number of falls. Therefore, it’s essential to include adequate nosing that is easily seen and strong enough to take a person’s full weight.

Staircase installers offer a full range of stair treads available in different colors and finishes. There are multiple nosing options on offer too but ask for the right type to suit the intended setting.

3. Improve Lighting and Remove Tripping Hazards:

Stairs should always have a high illumination level. Especially when contrasted to adjacent spaces.

Shadows and low areas of light can disrupt visibility. Remove them by installing low-glare overhead lights or a stair lighting kit. Make sure to have light switches on the upper and lower levels too.

Additionally, remove any tripping hazards from the staircase.

Items like clothing or books must never block the stairs. Carers should inspect the staircase regularly and remove all items. Training in care homes should provision for this along with general safety guidelines.

Making Stairs Safer for Seniors:

Senior staircase safety should include increasing visibility, removing hazards, and upgrading staircases.

Stair injuries can be grave and life-threatening in nature for seniors. You can suffer from injuries that might require medical procedures like hip replacement surgery or one for the knee. This is one reason why staircase safety is advocated.

Adding non-slip stair treads and dual handrails not only acts as safety features but can boost confidence. Adding extra light will help too.

Make an elderly person more comfortable in their home by following these tips. Reduce falls and increase the quality of life through simple staircase additions.

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6 Reasons To Prefer Patient-Centered Care For Older Adults

When a person grows old, he/she becomes dependant on other people. Sadly, isolation can bring drastic effects on an aged patient’s wellbeing as he/she’s more susceptible to develop negative consequences. That’s why experts often pursue senior companionship programs for older people. It’s an unfortunate fact that many hospitals worldwide still do not follow a person-centric approach. This innovative model focuses on prioritizing a person’s values, desires, and preferences in making healthcare decisions. Some elements that furnish an effective patient-centric plan involve focusing on physical and emotional wellbeing and having a family member present in the care setting. This approach also concentrates on providing accessible, cooperative, and collaborative facilities to the aged patients while allowing them to make informed decisions. The elderly population in the United States is growing rapidly. It’s expected to exceed from 17% to approximately 20% by 2050. It is worth mentioning that, like every other population, senior citizens in America are also more vulnerable to isolation. These factors contribute to different challenges associated with the mental and physical wellbeing of old people. In this article, we’ll provide an extensive explanation of why aged patients must receive patient-centered care for better results. Some of its benefits include: 1. Job satisfaction: Satisfied doctors are more likely to treat their patients productively. It’s been observed that patient-centered care even motivates physicians to become more efficient at their jobs. Many medical practitioners, especially nurses, take a step ahead by enrolling in various MSN to DNP nursing education programs for excellence in their careers. This extra qualification enables healthcare professionals to focus on the strategies that can help them attain the best outcomes for aged patients. Hence, patient-centric care empowers the staff, which indirectly affects the mental/physical health of the old population. 2. Healthy environment: Hospitals implement a patient-centered model to incorporate the patient-first approach. This leads to the creation of a supportive environment where patients are provided individualized attention and personalized healthcare. This environment contributes to the patient’s emotional wellbeing. This model further streamlines the workflow, thereby enhancing the organization’s overall efficiency. Patient-centric care ensures that the staff eliminates every inefficiency and capably delivers the facilities your patients need. 3. Patient engagement: The ancient residents feel valued and respected when hospitals implement a patient-centric model. Focusing on their needs and abilities, patient-centered care enables patients to participate in decisions related to their healthcare plans actively. With a quality-based patient experience, hospitals can drive greater patient engagement. When you deliver a personalized experience to the patient community, they communicate efficiently with the medical staff. This communication leads to their well-being. When your patients feel satisfied with the healthcare they receive, it increases their life expectancy. Since the individualized care makes them feel important again, patients believe that they’re leading a purposeful life instead of living a pathetic, meaningless existence. 4. Patient profile: The patient-centric model allows the creation of a holistic patient profile for better healthcare facilities. This approach enables the medical staff to collect the patient’s information for better understanding. Now, whenever a patient engages with a medical expert, he/she will access the patient’s medical records. This practice enables doctors to understand the patient’s unique touchpoints – risk factors and medical records – to provide the right medicinal solutions. 5. Mental health: The elderly often feel helpless and secluded from their surroundings. This sense of isolation isn’t healthy at all! Boredom affects the mental health of elderly patients. However, patient-centered care allows them to engage in several activities. These actions ward off depression and cure their sense of solitude. Some of these riveting activities involve mundane tasks such as: Painting Gardening Listening to music etc. A study published by Pew Research last year showed that one-fourth of US adults aged 60+ are living alone. This means more and more adults are likely to face mental health issues, which has increased the need for quality health care in older adults. 6. Good reputation: This approach improves patients’ satisfaction since the patient-centered service aligns with the patients’ healthcare expectations. The Beryl Institute found that over 70% of patients would share their good or negative experiences at a healthcare institute, making satisfaction important for your reputation. This practice also improves your organization’s public perception. Since we live in a world where online reviews are of uttermost value, it may affect a hospital’s reputation if patients aren’t happy with the health outcomes. Patients who feel that they’re properly taken care of by the medical staff enable the organization to maintain its reputation and remain in patient’s good books. Conclusion: Patient-centered care helps them curb loneliness and escape isolation. This approach improves the healthcare outcomes in any country for the aged population. In the end, several researchers have demonstrated that patient-centered care has better results than traditional medical maneuvers for the elderly. Hospitals that implemented a patient-centered approach have reported better health outcomes since patients recover faster and don’t frequently visit ER. Read Also: 5 Best Ways For Seniors To Pass The Time Senior Staircase Safety: What You Need to Know 6 Effective Ways to Improve Your Mental Health

3 Tips For Cheaper Funerals

When planning a funeral, financial costs always comes into play because expenditure will affect most of the funeral arrangements. This includes processes like paying the funeral home, catering for guests, as well as buying necessary items like flowers and caskets. Sometimes, one may want to plan a cheap funeral because it guarantees affordability. It also means that the funeral planners or the funeral director will have an easier time making arrangements that are not as extravagant. To arrange a cheap funeral, the most important thing is finding ways to cut costs throughout the process. This will end up reducing the overall budget. Below are some suggestions on how this can be done. Find ways to raise funds Before making an allocation as to how funds can best be used to conduct an affordable funeral, it is important to actually have the funds available. There are several ways in which this can be done while still ensuring that the money spent is minimised. One suggestion is to save up for funerals and such events. Some people prefer to set up a fixed deposit account where the funds can accumulate for use on a rainy day. Others may take out funeral insurance which can be a very wise idea. The money is paid in the form of a premium to an insurance company, and the funds are paid back during the planning of the funeral to cover costs. Lastly, the planners of the funeral can hold a fundraising ceremony, where relatives, friends, and well-wishers can donate to the funeral funds. All these methods will help in greatly reducing the cost of the funeral. Creating a favourable budget Once the funds have been raised, the next step is to specify how they will be used in the funeral process. The perfect budget for a funeral is one that allocates money in a way that reduces overall costs while still ensuring that the funeral goes as planned. This can involve prioritising what the money will be spent on and using it there first, to avoid depleting the funds before doing the important things. The right budget should also pick quality over quantity. Money spent on, say, quality funeral decorations, will save money in the end, than money spent on more items that have poor quality. Save on the funeral process itself There are ways to save money on the funeral process itself, and not compromise the ceremony. For example, cremation is a much less costly process than a burial. Services that are held in church, cost less than those held in a hired-out space. Of course, planning cheap funerals does not mean overlooking all the important funeral procedures. Everything possible should be done to ensure that the wishes of whoever the funeral is being planned for are respected. Any budget cuts should be done in line with this. Also, it is important to look at multiple options before settling on one, because that will ensure there is an alternative to choosing the most affordable one. All in all, a budget funeral does not have to mean a substandard one, and there are several ways to ensure that the ceremony is still beautiful and memorable.

How Much Does 24/7 In-Home Care Cost?

Many clinic patients, the elderly, or people who are undergoing long-term rehabilitation after major surgery at home, need outside help. Relatives or close friends will not always be able to provide qualified support and care for such patients. In such cases, a 24-hour home care service is required with the involvement of qualified specialists and medical personnel. Many people who have faced a difficult situation in life are often interested in the question, how much does 24/7 in-home care cost? What is a 24/7 In-Home Care Service? 24/7 In-Home Care Service is a set of medical services that leads to a quick recovery of a patient after a serious illness, surgery, injury, or alleviates his suffering and improves the quality of life in the provision of palliative care. In our company, this service is carried out at home with the involvement of the following set of specialists: Certified general doctors or highly specialized doctors. Registered Nurses. Speech correction specialists. Osteopaths, massage therapists, and other doctors ensure the normal functioning of the patient's musculoskeletal system. Nursing support staff and social workers. Nurses on duty monitor the health level of seriously ill patients 24/7. In addition to these specialists, we also attract additional staff to provide round-the-clock quality care, as well as monitor the patient's health status with the provision of emergency or planned care, if necessary. What kind of work do 24/7 In-Home Care Service employees do? The work plan of medical and auxiliary staff and specialists, as well as nurses in caring for the patient, is determined individually for each specific case. The general set of services provided includes the following actions of the staff: Carrying out drug treatment, or intramuscular injections of the patient. Monitoring the state of health, making primary or final diagnoses, and conducting examinations, without the use of professional equipment. Communication with the patient, identifying and updating the clinical picture, and prescribing new medications. Assistance in moving the patient around the house, for example, to the kitchen, and to the bathroom. Walking with the patient, if such procedures do not contradict the prescription of the attending physician. Maintaining the standard life of the patient, such as washing, changing clothes, helping to use the toilet, preparing meals, and performing other vital tasks. Help in establishing the ability to communicate normally, correcting the speech of a patient after a stroke or other serious illness. Perform dressings, treatment of wounds, bedsores, and other traumatic injuries. Conducting intensive care. Assistance in occupational therapy, gymnastics, or other physical exercises. Feeding the patient, including intravenous, with the inability to eat independently. Providing psychological assistance, getting rid of stress and depression, and pursuing a special course of treatment. All services that are provided around the clock by our service are aimed at ensuring a comfortable life for the patient, regardless of the age and severity of the identified pathology. Our qualified specialists relieve suffering and provide the necessary assistance in various pathologies. How Much Does 24/7 In-Home Care Cost? The cost of maintaining staff for round-the-clock care at home is calculated individually, according to the company's price list, as well as adjusting factors, and depends on several important criteria: The age of the patient. The patient's health status. The type of pathology identified. The need for round-the-clock monitoring of the patient. The number of specialists involved in working with patients. The need for intensive care. Category and method of dosage of drugs. The cost of procedures prescribed to the patient. The need for periodic planned hospitalization. The need for analysis. Removing the location of the patient from the region of service. The need to maintain the living conditions of the patient. According to the results of calculations and compilation of statistics, regardless of the category of the patient and several specialists involved in caring for him, home care is no more than 1/3 of the cost of hospital stay bills. Thus, the customer incurs lower costs both for the direct payment for each service, according to the price list, and for the purchase of insurance, including 24/7 In-Home Care Service. In recent years, experts have explicitly stated that home care is becoming more and more profitable for customers, due to the growth in the number of companies providing this service, as well as due to the reduction in the cost of such services with the development of digital technologies. When is 24/7 In-Home Care required? The decision to contact the round-the-clock assistance service for sick or incapacitated people is made in the presence of the following circumstances: Conclusion on the incapacity of an elderly person, or a patient with pathologies. The presence in the house of a child with ASD, or with other mental developmental disabilities. Relatives notice the patient's untidy appearance, exhaustion due to lack of food, or other signs of socialization disorders, this means that the person needs third-party help, and they need to turn to specialists. If the patient cannot move independently, he needs round-the-clock supervision, since when he tries to transfer from bed to a wheelchair, he can injure himself. One of the main reasons why people don’t always turn to the services of round-the-clock care for a sick person is the reluctance to spend extra money. At the same time, if relatives have to take care of an elderly person, this can drag on for years, which will certainly affect the mental state of relatives. After the departure of the ward from life, the years will already be lost, and the relatives will not have time to enjoy life. In this regard, experts recommend always contacting professionals in such cases. Particular attention should be paid to older people who are diagnosed with dementia, starting with the second degree. Such patients are always ready to serve themselves and declare complete independence, but in fact, they cannot do without professional help. One of the most important reasons for hiring a nurse to look after a sick person is the fact that the patient is always more subordinate to a stranger than to a relative. This means that if the ward behaves too capriciously, and does not want to follow the daily routine or take the medications prescribed by the attending physician, it is recommended to seek professional help. The specialists of our company perfectly understand the condition of sick people, since we have been working with such patients for more than a year. We provide psychological assistance, we understand the algorithm of interaction with a person, even in the most difficult situations. All our nurses and doctors have completed advanced training courses and meet the highest requirements, as evidenced by the positive feedback from our patients' relatives. Tips for choosing 24/7 In-Home Care It is very difficult to make the right choice of a nurse who will simultaneously satisfy the patient and his relatives, and also fulfill all the regulatory requirements and prescriptions of the doctor. When looking for such staff for a home for around-the-clock care for a sick person, it is recommended to take into account several nuances: When conducting an interview, it is recommended to invite the future nurse to the patient and look at his reaction. The nurse should have a pleasant timbre of voice and arrange for the patient to quickly establish contact with him. The nurse must have the necessary qualifications, and be able to provide first aid, following the disease in her future ward. It is recommended to request in advance from the future employee all the necessary qualification documents, as well as a diploma of higher education. The nurse should initially be ready for an irregular working day, namely, staying next to a sick person 24/7, or, if she disagrees, it is recommended to hire two people. Our company immediately presents to a potential customer 2 or 3 highly qualified people who will be next to the patient for 24 hours. A nurse must always be in touch, have a mobile phone, be able to use instant messengers to answer a question at any time of the day, or transfer information to the attending physician in case of a force majeure situation. Regardless of professional qualities, the nurse must have such personal traits as benevolence, compassion, and care. Only with a good attitude from the home staff, the patient will quickly recover, or his last days of life will be comfortable. Our company All American Home Care has only highly qualified medical staff and nurses who provide round-the-clock support for a sick person, regardless of the degree of progression of the disease. We are always ready to help your relative both in the postoperative period and in the provision of palliative care. Read Also: Art Activities for Stress Relief Releasing Stress Even if You Don’t Leave Home Make Your Vacation Less Stressful With the Following Tricks Why It’s So Hard to Quit Drugs Cold Turkey?

Senior Staircase Safety: What You Need to Know

1. Safety Rails for Staircases:

2. Stair Treads for Elderly Relatives:

3. Improve Lighting and Remove Tripping Hazards:

Making Stairs Safer for Seniors:

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Content Rally

Content Rally wrapped around an online publication where you can publish your own intellectuals. It is a publishing platform designed to make great stories by content creators. This is your era, your place to be online. So come forward share your views, thoughts and ideas via Content Rally.

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6 Reasons To Prefer Patient-Centered Care For Older Adults

3 Tips For Cheaper Funerals

How Much Does 24/7 In-Home Care Cost?

Senior Staircase Safety: What You Need to Know

1. Safety Rails for Staircases:

2. Stair Treads for Elderly Relatives:

3. Improve Lighting and Remove Tripping Hazards:

Making Stairs Safer for Seniors:

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Content Rally wrapped around an online publication where you can publish your own intellectuals. It is a publishing platform designed to make great stories by content creators. This is your era, your place to be online. So come forward share your views, thoughts and ideas via Content Rally.

Leave a Reply

Popular

Follow Us

Recent

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