Keeping your older person safe from falls in your or their home starts with keeping them safe from slips and trips. If you have a beloved old man and have ever wondered how to keep floors safe for seniors, you are in the right place.
Take the time to check both your home and theirs with your “eyes wide open” for potential hazards on the floor that could lead to a life-changing fall. Get rid of all rugs, rugs, electrical cords, and mud or sand left on shoes that may be loose on the floor. Remember, the number 1 floor enemy of the elderly is rugs. If you look at the underside of a rug, you may (or may not) come across a non-slip rubber coating that is designed to prevent the rug from slipping. But you can’t prevent a rug from bunching up and causing a tripping hazard.
A living room or any large room should have a continuous type of flooring so that there are no transitions or thresholds that create a tripping hazard. If you have saddle thresholds between rooms, it would be a good idea to remove / replace them so the floor transition from room to room is as smooth as possible without any humps or bumps. As little as 1/4-inch change in floor height can cause a trip.
A special note on how to keep floors safe for seniors in the bathroom: The bathroom floor is a special surface and must have a certain texture so that it remains non-slip even when wet. The bathroom is the wettest room in the house. If you have tile in your older person’s bathroom, you can add some anti-slip strips to make it less slippery. You can buy rolls of this at Lowe’s, Home Depot, or even Amazon. There are also anti-slip treatments that can be applied to the floor to increase the coefficient of friction (make the floor less slippery). Wet floors are a dangerous slip hazard because it is difficult for your older person to see where the wet spots are on the floor.
If you use any type of spray polish or cleaner, be aware of excess spray. Too much furniture polish spray can make your floor very slippery. Instead of spraying the polish directly on the furniture, spray the polish on the polishing cloth and then wipe the furniture. This will leave your floors clean and dry. As a general rule of thumb, clean up spills and splashes immediately and keep your floor as dry as possible. While we are on the subject of cleaning, cleaning is also a very important daily task. Anything loose on the floor can cause a tripping hazard for your senior, such as toys, dirt, extension cords, and game pieces. Keep your floor clean and dry and your beloved older person will have a much safer stay at your home or yours.
5-minute checklist to keep floors safe for seniors
> Walk around yours and your house with your eyes on “Senior Hazard”
> Keep floors dry and clean
> Discard the area or throw away the rugs
> Mark sloping or uneven floors with high visibility paint or tape
> Move electrical cords out of the walking path
> Be careful when using polishes and cleaners, avoid spilling the spray on the floor