Making home safe

You can change their home to help the person you care for to move around safely. This can be changes to their home if they are still living there, or to your home if they are living with you.

Changes to the home can increase their independence and reduce the risk of injury. This also helps you by increasing the range of things the person can do for themselves, and by reducing your risk of injury.

Simple changes to the home

Simple changes to the person’s home can include:

• removing clutter around the house to prevent tripping as they move around
• installing night lights
• putting nonslip strips on the edge of stairs
• keeping all medicines in a locked cabinet
• installing smoke detectors

Larger changes to the home

Larger changes to the person’s home can include:

• installing ramps in areas with stairs – you will need ramps if the person you care for uses a wheelchair. They can also be useful for people who can’t manage stairs very well
• installing rails wherever needed – rails give the person something to hold when they need to, such as climbing stairs, getting in and out of the shower or bath, or getting on and off the toilet
• widening doorways – you might need to widen doorways if the person you care for uses a wheelchair
• changing bathrooms and kitchens (for example, lowering bench heights so they can be reached by someone in a wheelchair)
• moving light switches and power points to be more convenient for you or the person you care for

Getting help with changing the home

You can ask your doctor or occupational therapist about what changes to the home might help you. Changes should be done by a licensed builder or tradesperson. You can also visit the Home Modifications Information Clearinghouse website for more information.