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Margaret Pearson Pinkham, CPO-CD

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Home > Ask the Experts > Personal Organizing > Articles > Top Three Tips for Organizing for Senior Home Safety

Top Three Tips for Organizing for Senior Home Safety

By Margaret Pearson Pinkham, CPO-CDÆ

1. Fall Prevention

  • Clear pathways and floors in the house of tripping hazards. (Boxes, bags, electrical cords.)
  • Organize garden tools and hoses out of pathways by using garden storage and retractable hoses.)
  • Reduce need for step-ladders or step stools. Put often-used items at arms reach—have little to nothing in upper cabinets or shelves.
  • Reduce need for running around looking for things. Install hooks by the entry or garage door for purses, keys and dog leashes.
  • Have plenty of flashlights on hand for when the lights go out or they are out at night. (Some even clip to canes.) Make sure lighting in areas they need to be in at night is sufficient (walking the dog before bedtime, coming in from the car at night, getting to the bathroom at night).

2. Fire Prevention

  • Clear papers away from stovetops, inside of ovens or near hot-water heaters. Set up an inbox for incoming mail, and easy trash and recycling nearby to purge junk mail.
  • Test smoke alarms…and your parents’ hearing! Can they hear their smoke alarms? Even at night when they don’t have a hearing aid in?
  • Too many extension cords or plugs in one outlet? Hire an electrician to install more outlets where needed.

3. Medications

  • Help your senior create a Medication Checklist of all prescriptions, OTC, supplements and herbs they are taking.
  • Have them use a plastic pill organizer to set out their pills daily or weekly. These come in a variety of sizes and shapes for taking once a day or several times a day.
  • Reminder alarm watches can be set for several times a day.
  • De-clutter the area where they take their medications…kitchen counter, bathroom or nightstand. Make sure they have easy access and bright enough light there to see what they are taking. Install more outlets if needed.

Resources

Garden Storage, retractable hoses, etc.

http://www.improvementscatalog.com/

Pill Organizers and Alarm Watches

http://www.healthaccessories.com/
http://www.forgettingthepill.com/

 

Margaret Pearson Pinkham, CPO-CDÆ

Margaret Pearson Pinkham, CPO-CDÆ, is a Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization and is based in Sonoma County, CA. Through her business Organize in Harmony she started in 2004, she helps her clients organize rooms and work spaces, clear clutter, manage time and increase their ability to focus. Margaret holds special certificates of study through the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization (NSGCD) in helping elderly clients, those with Attention Deficit Disorder and with compulsive hoarding. Margaret works one-on-one with her clients in their homes or offices and also long-distance through phone coaching or "virtual organizing."
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