Finding a way to help your parents stay in their home is not impossible, but it certainly can be a challenge. The fact that platform lifts for homes and modular wheelchair ramps are available, in fact, can make the difference between your parents getting to stay in their home for at least a few more years and the difficult decision to move them into a nursing home right now.
If you are facing the difficult task of adapting your parent’s home so that your loved ones can stay where they are most comfortable, you likely know some of the changes that need to be made. Power lift chairs and platform lifts for homes, for instance, can help you devise ways that will allow your mother, your father, or both your parents stay in a place that is both comfortable and familiar to them. Without the needed modifications, however, it is important to realize that many aging parents simply will not safe in their current home.
Consider some of these facts and figures about the mobility issues that many elderly Americans face, as well as the transition options that are available:
- Nearly 235,000 people experience injuries in the bathroom every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
- 2 million senior citizens visit the emergency room for injuries caused by a fall every single year.
- 48% of homeowners over age 55 say the bathroom is the top area in the home that they have considered modifying for as a way to help allow aging in place, according to HomeAdvisor’s 2016 Aging in Place Report.
- Home service professionals say the top aging-in-place projects they have been hired to do include installing grab bars. In fact, 71% have requested these grab bars, while 54% have asked for advise in adding entryway wheelchair ramps, according to HomeAdvisor’s 2016 Aging in Place Report.
- 6.8 million Americans use assistive devices to aid their mobility.
- 53 million Americans live with a disability, and according to a recent study, the most common disability involves limited mobility.
From wheelchair lifts for homes to a number of other modifications that can be made, it is important to at least research all of the possible options that may be available as you try to find a way to make sure that your parents can stay at home as long as possible.