The kitchen is fondly referred to as the “heart of the home,” and if you are a host who enjoys entertaining, you may find that guests gravitate to this part of the home.  It’s warm, and inviting, and usually smells pretty good!

Did you know it can also be a hotspot for slips, trips, and falls? With its hard walking surfaces, sharp objects, and potential for spill. And, it may not be the first place we think of for safety concerns while aging in the community.

As an Occupational Therapist, I am often asked to help problem-solve the kitchen to help people complete their daily tasks with more ease. In this post, we’ll discuss some practical tips for making the kitchen a safer place for seniors, reducing the risk of falls, and promoting independence.

Arrange Your Kitchen for Safety

When we consider the purpose of spaces and who will use them, known as space planning, it becomes clear that the layout of your kitchen can play a significant role in our safety and efficiency. If we fail to plan for all aspects of how the space can be effectively used as we age, it can pose unintended risks.

To help, arrange your kitchen to minimize the need for excessive reaching or bending. Keep frequently used items within easy reach and avoid cluttering countertops.

Consider consulting a home safety consultant or organizer to help with this process. It’s well be worth the investment and may not be as expensive as you think!

Use Non-Slip Rugs

Consider placing non-slip rugs in key areas of the kitchen, or anti-fatigue mats in most used areas such as in front of the sink and stove. These rugs provide traction, and relief from tired feet and can help prevent slips and falls, especially on hard flooring surfaces. Be careful if you have neuropathy though, nonslip rugs can become a hazard if we can’t even feel them!

Keep Floors Clean and Dry

Regularly clean up spills and splashes to prevent slippery spots on the floor. Use absorbent mats near the sink and dishwasher to catch drips and spills before they become a hazard.

If you prefer and have the means to do so, you can consider hiring a cleaner to help keep the kitchen  spick and span.

And some people find running an automatic, robotic vacuum helpful in cleaning up the little day-to-day messes.

Install Proper Lighting

Good lighting is essential in the kitchen, especially when handling sharp objects or hot surfaces. Ensure that your kitchen is well-lit, with adequate task lighting over work areas and countertops. Consider installing under-cabinet lighting for better visibility during food preparation.

As we age, no matter how great our acuity is, our pupils lose their flexibility, This means no matter what, we need MORE light as we age and it starts as young as 60!

Use Safe Kitchen Appliances

As you replace appliances as they age, or you upgrade, choose ones with safety features that are easy to use and maintain. Look for appliances with automatic shut-off timers and clear, easy-to-read controls or wider handles to accommodate emerging arthritis. Avoid appliances with complicated settings, and hard-to-reach buttons, or require the use of fine motor skills such as pinching, twisting, or turning.

The kitchen can present challenges as we age in our homes, yet with the right precautions, the right mindset, and enough foresight it can become a safe and pleasant environment.

More Posts About Home Accessibility & Safety

Keep an eye out for the next part of our series, where we’ll delve into other safety tips for seniors around the house, inside and out, focusing on preventing falls and making your home comfortable and safe for successful aging in place.

Contributed by:

Dawn Heiderscheidt OTR/L, ECHM, CAPS

As a seasoned Occupational Therapist with years of experience in traditional healthcare settings, Dawn is passionate about helping people live independently in their own homes. She turned that passion into a successful mobile home modifications business when she founded Aurora Independence, leveraging her expertise in home modifications and Universal Design to help clients Age in place.

Dawn is the Owner/Founder of Aurora Independence: “Empowering your independence, enhancing your home.”

Dawn’s approach is client-centered and evidenced-based, ensuring that every project is personalized to the unique needs of her clients. She provides home accessibility and home safety consulting on construction projects, additions, and other modifications advocating for proper accessibility at every stage to ensure a safe and comfortable living environment.

Dawn’s drive to help the Aging in Place market is rooted in their personal experience of caring for her parents, her background as a rehab professional, and her own experience navigating the healthcare spaces. Her empathy and dedication to her clients are matched only by her expertise.

She shares this expertise as s guest speaker on entrepreneurship at the university level as a national continuing education provider for fellow healthcare and remodeling professionals.

At Aurora Independence, Dawn’s passion for empowering independence is more than just a business — it’s a way of life.

 

 

Friends Life Care  posts on the eMeetinghouse blog as another way to share wellness, home accessibility, and health prevention information with Seniors and Baby Boomers.  Friends Life Care is a Quaker value-based nonprofit that has mission to help older adults — especially Friends Life Care members — to successfully age in place.  If you have questions about Friends Life Care membership, contact us to get the answers you need from one of our Plan Counselors on the benefits of joining. 

If you are a current member, you can reach out directly to your dedicated care coordinator.