Have you made any small home changes to make life safer as you get older?

CarriadAgain Have you thought of selling your read-once books? If they are newish and in good condition, there are sites that will buy them, and some that even give you bigger credits to spend or just take the money.

If your local library is being mean and unhelpful, write to the library service to complain, or perhaps offer to sell them to them at a discount?

cc

We've added a shower room next to the ground floor bedroom. When we renovated the bathroom and cloakroom we installed taps with a single lever rather than a traditional tap head, same in the kitchen.
We did one more expensive thing which was to replace the dated and unsafe staircase, adding a couple of extra steps which means that the staircase isn't so steep - also a proper banister replaces the 70's style "plank" grip on the old one.

No pets. That's very sad.
They bring so much that is positive.
I'd say they are 3% trip hazard, 97% physical and psychological health bringers.

We changed our bathroom into a shower room. It has a seat but I haven't used it yet. I should have had a grab rail installed but I foolishly said no to the installers and I regret it now.

Another gadget I have bought is an extendable backscratcher. Not so much for my back, but it acts as an extendable 'hand' so that I can grab things from the top kitchen cupboards. (I am short).

Lighting. I have easy to install lights under my cupboards.

You can fit these on your stairs, but start with changing your bulbs to daylight quality, and after checking electrics, perhaps a higher light level bulbs. You can now, of course, buy stick on battery lights - I have a couple of these in my garden that are movement sensing

Not small changes but… in en-suite bathroom.
New walk in shower with non slip base. Grab rail. Disabled toilet. New floor covering.
New shower in family bathroom and some new floor covering. Left the bath as the next family might like to bathe and it’s fairly new.
Changed to a comfort toilet in the downstairs suite.
That’s about it so far and took some time and pennies. Next year I will need a bannister rail for the stairs. Hopefully not much more. The rest of the house is not too bad all on the flat.
I have bought a Ninja Air Fryer-Helpful.

Watermeadow was worried about installing a stairlift. I had one put in for my mother and was impressed that it did not 'damage' the walls at all. The support came from the treads on the stairs. When it was removed some years later, there was little evidence that it had ever been there.

I got rid of grass from front and back gardens. The front is just slow growing shrub and some trees. The back has area of gravel and gravel paths. I plan to extend gravel if gardening becomes burden.

Yes I wear soft flip flops in shower and do not have a mat. I keep a wicker chair alongside to use when drying off. I recently got a Karcher window cleaner gadget that suctions off the water splashes from tiles/glass. I have asthma so am vigilant about damp sources/mould indoors.

Over bath shower. Handle on wall to steady myself, stepping in. Also seat board across the bath.

Hubby and i live in a 4 bedroom 3 bathroom detached house , id like a 3 bedroom detached bungalow, ready to move into, after 35 yrs off getting our home spot on, we can't find a bungalow, either run down or too expensive, so we've decided to stay put and have either a stair lift or a proper lift fitted through the ceiling if and when needed, very private were we live in a small cauldicac with only 3 other houses,...WHAT'S NOT TOO LIKE

Sensor motion lights on the stairway are very helpful

No-one else has mentioned this, but I got in touch with the local fire service and a fireman came and put up new smoke sensors and a carbon monoxide sensor. All free, and it's made me feel safer.

We had the house re-wired when we bought it in 2015, so all the electric sockets in the kitchen and utility room are at table top level. So no bending down to plug things in. No loose flexes, or rugs with turned up edges on the floors. I have recently done away with a curtain rail, so using a stepladder is no longer necessary when curtains need washing.

That's it for now, but I expect I will make other changes when I think the time is right.

OliviaRema Just had a comfort height loo installed, it’s great!

I’m 66, and last year was diagnosed with the start of small vessel disease. I have Fibromyalgia and ME, with balance issues.
I have had a second handrail fitted on the stairs, grab rails in the bathroom for the toilet and shower (ours is over the bath), also a seat across the bath and a grab rail in the downstairs toilet.
I still have a rug in the lounge and a non slip runner in the hall. It’s all little things to help me daily.

I ripped out my bath and put in a large shower enclosure, which has room for a chair so I sit and have my shower. Also placed handrail along the stairs, non slip mats.

Sensor lights at the turn of the stairs, and in both bathrooms. Smart plugs and bulbs that Alexa can switch on and off by voice command eg for the tv, or on a set schedule for various lamps). Heated throws on the bed and sofa for immediate warmth.

Yes, we moved with that very purpose in mind! Not a cheap tweak though!

No rugs anywhere, and I am gradually thinking about how to organise the kitchen so I don’t have to get a stepstool to reach things in high cupboards.

My main thing though is just to slow down a bit and do one thing at a time. When I rush or try to do two things at once is when I have minor accidents.

We moved to a bungalow as part of our retirement plans, it already had handrails for the outside doorway, shower with built in seat, on a hospital bus route, local shop, doctor and vets all within walking distance. I know many people want to retire to the country but thoughts are that eventually as they get older many people can no longer drive and end up isolated with little to no infrastructure to support them

Not a small change, but when our kitchen was refitted,I had large deep drawers rather than cupboards. Much easier to see what's in there and to get stuff in and out.

We had engineered wooden floors installed five years ago. It is very easy to keep clean.. just a quick vacuum and occasionally a wipe with a damp mop. We still have rugs but at the moment they are no trouble. The kitchen has been replaced with floor to ceiling units with pull out shelves and drawers. The ovens are waist level. I am quite short (5’2”) so much better than before where the microwave was level with the top of my head.. I have RA so am thinking of the future. Luckily we live in a bungalow with showers. No stairs to worry about

One thing I hate is that most rails etc advertised as for 'elderly' (hate that word!) are white, clunky and ugly. If you're having a rail by the door I think it's worth seeing if there is a local smith that will make a beautiful black metal one. Same with railings down steps. When we had a new bathroom about 10 years ago, I made sure the shower included a grab rail. Chrome though, and gorgeous.

The only change I've made so far is to buy a bath seat so I can sometimes have a bath. If I get more unsteady I will be able to use it for showers as well. I have also moved things off the higher shelves in the kitchen. I don't feel safe now using a step to reach them.

Can I ask those of you with "suction" grabrails in the bath to recommend ones that stay put? We have tried three different makes and all come unstuck.

I wish I could persuade DH to do away with carpet1s throughout - a nightmare to keep clean!

I am so aware of the importance of self preservation as I get older and try to think about keeping safe from falls. With small grandchildren regularly in our care there are often toy hazards to beware of so we both clear and move things quickly. We don't have any rugs, hard floor in hall, kitchen and bathrooms. We added a slim and elegant bar in the shower which we do use. We are about to have the shower room refitted and will have a low threshold tray this time. I have put a rechargeable automatic light on the skirting board in our bedroom which comes on if we get up in the night. This has been really helpful as my husband gets up very early and it is safer for him. Otherwise we are just more careful and sensible and use step ladders rather than chairs.

After a fall and two operations on my ankle which has left me with a limp I have grab rails in the bathroom and the door leading to the garden
I hated them at first but I have to admit I couldn’t do without them, my family are nagging me to get a stair lift but I’m trying to hold off as the thought of it is making me feel old, I’m 67 so no spring chicken I know but I think I will try and hold out a little longer for that, I’m looking for a bungalow instead

Like Allsorts I too wonder about hard floors. Liquid falling on them must make them slippy. In bedrooms would definitely be out for me if upstairs. The noise, no thank you. If in a flat how do you stop noise transference to below without ripping up floors and having noise insulation installed. As a start, I've cleared out the loft. I already have a shower, wide disabled access doors on front and back doors, kitchen was renovated to accommodate wheelchair 4 yesrs ago. Recent purchae of sitting room furniture definitely not the popular low height and deep seating with no armrests. Think I have been gradually adapting without really knowing.