Attending to holiday safety for senior adults in your home can keep the holiday celebrations joyful for everyone. Your home is probably perfectly safe for older people under normal circumstances. The holidays, however, bring unusual and often confusing noise, unfamiliar surroundings, and a certain 
amount of chaos. Whether the senior adults who will share your holiday celebrations are “frail” or not, a few adjustments can keep everyone safe and happy.
We hope every family will enjoy injury- and illness-free holidays. To help you prepare for holiday safety for senior adults we offer the following tips.
- Ensure that show or ice is removed from sidewalks and driveways. Use sufficient sand, salt or ice melt to ensure safety.
- Ensure that the decorations in your home are situated to leave ample room between things for people to walk safely.
- Use flame-resistant decorations.
- Run extension cords around a room rather than over the floor. This removes one common tripping opportunity. Keep cables, electrical cords, charger cords, etc. away from traffic areas.
- Arrange furniture so that people can easily maneuver around it, especially ottomans and low tables.
- Remove anything that an older person could trip on (scatter rugs, for example).
- Ensure that all areas of your home are well lit, especially around doors and primary walkways.
- In general, choose bright lights over candles.
- Ensure that light switches are visible and accessible.
- Ensure that a light is accessible from the bed in the bedroom the senior adult will use.
- Add a night light between the bedroom and the bathroom.
- Ensure that rugs or mats in the bathroom will not pose a safety hazard by slipping. Either put a non-skid mat under the rugs, tape them to the floor temporarily, or remove them.
- Identify specific areas for children to play that will keep toys out of pathways senior adults will use to get around.
- Take steps to prevent a pet from causing a fall when a senior adult is moving around the house.
- Ensure easy access to a flashlight in case the power goes out.
- Have on hand the foods needed for special diets.
- Identify a location for medications to be kept that is accessible for the senior but out of reach of children.
- Add a grab bar in the shower and beside the toilet. Temporary suction bars are usually adequate.
- Choose chairs for seniors carefully: ensure that they are level and do not wobble, easy to get in and out of, and with sufficient space around them to be comfortable.
- Plan activities so that seniors have opportunities to rest or to find a quiet space at times.
All of us at Altizer Law, P.C., hope these holiday safety for senior adults tips will help you, your family, and the senior adults in your life to enjoy a happy and safe holiday season.
