Be proactive, prevent falls for seniors
As the end of summer approaches, my best words of advice are to be careful. As seniors, we sometimes forget we are old. I was talking with one of my neighbors on Monday and noticed he had a brace on his leg. When I asked what happened, he said he fell in the shower. When asked how bad the injury was, he replied that it was bad enough to ruin his holiday season.
Isn’t that interesting? Here I am in the age-in-place bathroom business and never thought to approach my neighbor about his bathroom. I never thought he was old enough to need help, or maybe I was just too busy.
“What a lousy friend,” I thought.
I know the statistics, so here is my word of wisdom so you won’t ruin your rest of the year.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 4 adults age 65 and older, report falling each year. And up to 80% of falls in the home occur in the bathroom, according to the National Institute on Aging. These are pretty staggering statistics when you think about it. Yes, we can be procrastinators. Yes, we may not want to spend the money, especially since gas and food prices have increased recently. Yet, my best advice to all seniors is to be proactive on home safety because the options are pretty grim — not to mention what we as seniors can save.
No one likes the hospital or bills, so not falling is key — not to mention what we will save on rehab and possibly care home bills if we got hurt. So, here’s the plan. Quit procrastinating and fix your bathroom. Sure, it may cost a few bucks to change the tub to a low-entry shower with a non-slip floor. Put in some handibars and a non-slip floor. Let’s just make the bathroom safer because the cost of that is nothing compared to hospital bills.
If only I had taken the time to communicate this in a gentle way to my neighbor. Well, now I am communicating this to all of you. Be proactive. Keep your quality of life, enjoy life and the rest of the year. Call me, Matt, or Mike, or go to our showroom at 1351 S. Beretania St. where we have safe shower displays and options. All our products are manufactured by Jacuzzi or Onyx and include a lifetime warranty. Don’t ruin the rest of your year. Be akamai and we’ll help you enjoy your year and the holidays.
Call 808-593-2000 and be one of the first 20 homeowners to get an extra $500 discount if you mention this article during the estimate.
