Taking the stress out of caregiving!
Seniors or people struggling with walking often have to revert to walkers to get around the house. This can create problems with various barriers that the average house throws at them. One area that can be quite troubling is the washroom and in particular the toilet area. To save space in a washroom, many homes […]
As house prices in Toronto rise and more and more seniors are living with their children, a common thing I see is the setting up of small apartments or living quarters for seniors in the basement. Often it includes a small bathroom, living room/bedroom and even a small kitchen. I think it’s a great idea […]
Double handrails result in fewer slips and falls for seniors.
In older homes (or in this case a condo), there is often a step up or down when moving from one room to another. Usually because of additions or transitions to different parts of the house. When we’re younger, we don’t even think of these (except when we trip over them!), but as we age, […]
If you have a shower stall or more enclosed space, it is still very important to set it up properly to avoid slips or falls. Here’s one we worked on where we added a grab bar behind the shower chair (to allow the person to stand sometimes while showering); a vertical bar to allow them […]
A common place for slips and falls are the outside steps for a lot of older houses. As people live in their houses for a long time, they tend to add and change things to the front, often making it more complex for someone to exit the house. If you’re young and able, no problem. […]
Probably 50% of our work at HSS is done in the bathroom! All bad joking aside (sorry, couldn’t resist :-)), bathroom safety is extremely important as that is where a lot of accidents happen. Water everywhere, people needing to step in and out of tight spaces, etc. can lead to slips and falls which then […]
Embracing Aging 2020 is an upcoming free series of presentations to help people going through this process to better equip themselves for the inevitable changes. All of the presentations are at Eglinton St. George’s United Church. There are a number of topics that are to be discussed including: Feb. 2: Aging-in-Place: Growing Older, Staying at […]
Accessibility is the ability of the person in the household to move about (e.g. through doorways, down stairs) or do daily household chores (e.g. make dinner, do laundry). Visitability is achieved when someone is visiting your home and through some modifications or just forward thinking, they have no problems accessing certain rooms (e.g. bathroom) or […]
Homes contain many potential fire hazards, like a stove that’s left on or space heaters overheating next to some bedding. Installing a few smart plugs or smart outlets to use with these devices can give you peace of mind, even if you live far away. You’ll be able to remotely control and monitor the power […]