How do I modify stairs for an elderly person?
Companies such as Waux, Trusty-Step, Slip Doctors, and SlipTec Solutions have products you can use on all floors coverings. You can apply it on ceramic tile, terrazzo, porcelain, quarry tile, fibreglass, brick, wood, concrete, marble, granite, vinyl, and travertine tiles.
Carpet stair treads have different forms and styles, simple and patterned. There are many to choose so take a look at your local carpet store or online.
Clear Anti Slip Roll by EdenProducts is proper for indoor wooden steps, bathroom flooring, and any place with no carpet. Also, it’s perfect for the master bedroom by the bedside floor.
For outdoor steps- Outdoor Anti Slip Treads made by Handi-Treads are for wooden outdoor steps, decks, and wooden surfaces. The aluminum product will not rust or damage.
Rubber floors trends are also suitable for outdoors and indoors.
Solid rubber treads (vs. the cut-out ones) are ideal for your older loved ones if they use a cane or a walker.
Safety Handrails for the Elderly
Having handrails for steps is reasonable. So for the safety of your senior loved one, it’s better to place them. Placing bars on both sides is the most sensible thing if you can do.
Stair Assistance for the Elderly
There are many products to help seniors safely use stairs whether the steps are indoors or outdoors; these three products can make a step safer:
• Stairlifts
• Half steps/blocks
• Stair walkers and bars
To modify stairs for safety, first, check the handrail. Make sure it can bear the entire body weight of an older person falling. And it’s best if there are handrails on both sides of the stairs. The material of which the stairs’ treads are made should be non-slip, and there should be no loose or slippery carpet that can contribute to falls. Removing rugs is not a bad idea either.
Next, make sure the steps are even. Uneven steps can cause someone descending or ascending a staircase to expect footing which isn’t there, so have a professional carpenter re-measure and re-make a new set of stairs.
There are also escalator devices that can be installed, but they are a bit expensive. You can also add a non-skid strip at the edge of each step to reduce the chance of slipping. Motion sensor lights would always be a good thing for the top and bottom of the stairs.
Modern LED lights can be hung with easy to remove adhesive wall anchors in stairwells for extra safety.