The Baby Boomers are diving headfirst into that section of life to which we name the participants "seniors." As the largest single demographic in America becomes elderly, they will need to make some repairs and improvements to their homes to increase their safety. The most likely accident to befall a senior citizen is a fall; a fall that can potentially break a hip, leg or arm. Other safety problems arrive with the dawning of the ability to become a member of the AARP and it behooves Baby Boomers to start taking a look around their house right to come up with small home improvement issues that could be dealt with right now.
One fairly obvious home improvement project to increase senior safety is to build a safer entryway into the house. If entry into your home means going up some stairs, start thinking now about saving up the money necessary to build an exterior ramp. Don't think that just because you manage to avoid becoming a senior in a wheelchair that you won't get substantial use and an equally substantial increase in safety from a simple wooden ramp. Consider a near-future in which you must use a can, you take smaller steps or you need to steady yourself during locomotion.
Another small home improvement to make to increase senior safety is the addition of nonskid adhesive strips on interior floors that are not carpeted and on exterior stairways. Take a look at your interior stairway and consider how safe it would be if you were ten to twenty years older. Can you clearly make out each individual step? Place either brightly colored tape on the edge of each step or paint the edges a bright color so that you can more clearly see them.
Home improvement to increase senior safety extends to the possibility of replacing kitchen appliances and equipment. The stovetop presents a significant danger to seniors with unsteady hands. If you own a stove with the controls situated on the top, think right now about saving up to eventually replace that stove with a model on which the controls are located on the front facing. Increase safety to correspond with the downgrade in senior strength and control by replacing heavier pots and pans with lightweight alternatives.
Senior safety can be increased by a wide range of small home improvement projects that extend from the walls of your living room to the walls of your shower stall. Hire an electrician to reinstall your electrical outlets so that they are located higher on the wall, thus cutting back on your need to bend over. Place a grab bar inside the shower stall to increase safety when you are already dealing with slippery dangers. One very simple home improvement project that can significantly increase safety involves merely upgrading the strength of your light bulbs. Vision acuity decreases with age and better illumination is one of the easiest methods for dealing with this safety issue.