Mississauga, Ontario, Nov. 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Each November Canadians mark Fall Prevention Month and Seniors Safety Week, two important reminders of the things older adults can do to improve their health and safety. Revera’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Rhonda Collins, offers some tips to help seniors create safer homes and lead healthier lifestyles.
“As you get older, it’s more important than ever to take charge of your health. Small changes can have huge impacts on your safety and well-being,” says Dr. Rhonda Collins, Chief Medical Officer, Revera. “Whether you’re considering senior living, such as a retirement home, or choosing to age in place in your current home, it’s important to focus on the things that will help keep you safe, mobile and independent.”
To support seniors’ health and wellness, Dr. Collins helped Revera develop two Art of Aging guides – one that focuses on care and wellness advice, and one that offers interior design tips to help seniors enjoy a safe, healthy home environment.
Everyone’s aging experience is different, but there are common things we can all do to help make sure our retirement years active, independent and healthy.
Five Tips for a Safer Home
- Stay connected: Loneliness and isolation can worsen many health conditions. It’s important to engage in social activities, spending time virtually, or safely in-person, with friends and family doing what you enjoy. Physical activities like fitness classes or going for a walk with neighbours, playing a game of cards with friends, or a video call with the grandkids can help you stay physically and mentally healthy and socially connected.
- Create accessible and visible spaces: When arranging furniture, leave a clear path of 36 inches between large items of furniture to ensure that you can move comfortably around them. A strong contrast in colour between furniture, walls, drapes and floors is also important as it helps you to navigate your space with greater visibility. Use a night light or a motion sensor light to make moving around at night safer.
- Put your best foot forward: Falls can cause serious injury, including hip fractures. Footwear selection can help prevent serious falls. Choose well-fitted shoes with a slip-resistant sole to wear inside and outside the home. Discard loose, worn, or backless slippers.
- Improve bathroom safety: Most bathroom floors get more slippery when wet. High-traction materials such as anti-skid strips in tubs are important. Toilets that are high make it easier to move from standing to sitting. Grab bars near the shower, tub and toilet also help with safety and mobility in the bathroom.
- Be proactive: Many seniors do not have a plan in place for a major life event, like a fall resulting in limited mobility, or the loss of a partner. Planning in advance is more comfortable and gives you time to consider all your options. For example, for many seniors, retirement living is about having the independence and choice to dedicate more time to the things you want to do and spend less time, or even no time, on things you no longer want to do like cleaning, laundry, shopping and property maintenance. Explore your options and create a lifestyle plan that matches your needs and resources and prioritizes your social engagement, safety, health and wellness.
About Revera
Revera is a leading Canadian-owned and -headquartered, owner, investor, developer and operator in the senior living sector. Through its portfolio of partnerships, Revera owns or operates more than 500 properties across Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom serving more than 55,000 seniors.
The company offers seniors’ apartments, independent living, assisted living, memory care, and long term care. With approximately 50,000 employees dedicated to providing exceptional care and service, Revera is helping seniors live life to the fullest. Through Age is More, Revera is committed to challenging ageism, the company’s social cause of choice. In Canada, Revera is proud to operate retirement residences and long term care homes from coast to coast. You can find Revera in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador. Find out more at ReveraLiving.com, Facebook.com/ReveraInc or on Twitter @Revera_Inc.
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