Home Care in Sandy Springs GA
When your loved one wants to stay independent, it’s important to make sure that she’s safe. One room in which your loved one could have trouble is the kitchen. Go through your loved one’s kitchen a few times a year to keep up with any changes that could affect her.
Check the Floors
Kitchens are busy places, so it’s important that the flooring is clear and free of clutter that could trip or hinder your loved one. If there’s too much in the kitchen, figure out which items are most important, which need to go to another room, and which can be donated or thrown away. From there, it’s a matter of keeping the flooring clear.
Adjust Lighting
If your loved one’s kitchen lighting isn’t very bright or is aimed poorly, then it’s time to correct that. Being able to see properly can help her to avoid injuring herself and can help her to see if there’s a problem with her food. Install bright light bulbs and change out any that are damaged or burned out.
Label Appliances
Some appliances have on and off buttons that aren’t all that easy to read. If your loved one’s vision is compromised at all, then it’s essential that she is able to see quickly which direction is on and which is off. Use bright stickers and labels to clearly mark off and on switches as well as any other settings that are important for using the appliance.
Have a Place for Utensils
Just like any room in the house, it’s easier to keep the kitchen organized when there’s a place for every utensil. This is especially important with knives and other sharp implements. Make sure that knives have a stable rack for storage and keep like utensils together. Help your loved one to learn the new kitchen setup if you have to move anything around for safety reasons.
Check the Pantry and Fridge
One aspect of kitchen safety that is easy to overlook is the expiration dates on your loved one’s food items. It’s really easy for foods to get shoved to the back of the pantry or the fridge. When you add new foods to the pantry, make sure to bring older foods forward so that you can rotate the older food out first. If your loved one has home care providers who help out with grocery shopping, let them know that you’re changing how you organize the pantry. Periodically check the fridge for any leftovers that are past their prime so you can toss them.
Safety in the kitchen is essential for keeping your elderly loved one healthy at home.
