Home Safety 

1. Get Rid Of Possible Obstacles
First, you must get rid of all furniture and electronic devices with cords that might act as obstacles for the patient. All decor items such as side tables, stools, statues, and indoor plants must be placed in a manner that they don’t obstruct walking paths in the house . In addition, you must make sure that all essential furniture is secured, doesn’t swivel, and has comfortable armrests. Your home has to have ample lighting throughout the day, along with blinds to minimize glare.

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2. Get A Bed With Adequate Height
Patients with Parkinson’s experience difficulty getting in and out of bed and make their way through stairs. Make sure that you install a bed that has a fairly low height, so that both the patient’s feet touch the ground when they are seated. Ideally, the height of the bed should be 22 inches, but you should also consider the height of the patient. In addition, position the bed along the wall, with rails attached to the sides of the bed, to help ease access to the bed. It is also advisable to locate the bedroom for Parkinson’s patients on the ground floor, so that they don’t have to cope with stairs.

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3. Store Essentials In Easily Accessible Places
Parkinson’s affects patient motor abilities. Therefore, you must, set up storage spaces for essential elements such as medications and clothes, in places that are easily accessible for the patient. Make sure that you have open shelves or cabinets with handles, instead of knobs. Avoid cabinets and door fasteners that can make it more difficult for patients to access their contents. It is advisable to use plastic bowls instead of bone china or glass in the kitchen. In addition, use a single handle faucet for the sink so that the patient can easily operate it.

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4. Install A Bedside Phone
You cannot rely on cellphones these days. They get discharged often, signals are not always available, and they can malfunction. You cannot have a lapse in the patient care because of a faulty cellphone. Make sure that you have a bedside phone in every room of your house that is easily accessible and has large buttons. You can also opt for a safety cord system or a personal touch pendant that send alerts to caregivers, in case of an emergency.

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5. Tune Up The Bathroom
Bathrooms can often be a tricky utility for Parkinson’s patients. A bathroom with a wet floor, throw rugs, or bad lighting can increase the risk of the patient slipping and falling. Having ample lighting in the bathroom is therefore, essential. In addition, you must install various safety measures in the bathroom. The safety measures may include grab bars installed near the shower, bathtubs, and toilet, elevated toilet seats with arm rests, sturdy bench with back support in the shower, and a stable chair to aid doing tasks such as shaving and brushing their teeth.

Complete a home safety assessment 

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Additional Resources:

Meals on Wheels can provide a free home safety assessment 

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Room GPT - Redesign a room using AI

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Complete a home safety assessment