Getting To The Things You Need

Think about the items you handle in your home every day: Cutlery, dishes, pots, pans, TV remote, books, wallet, clothes and shoes. Where you place them and how you access them matter when we think of home safety. This is especially true of items in your kitchen and bathrooms where slip and fall risk is greater. Here are some tips on organizing the things you need:

  • Placement: Commonly used items should be organized to be accessed at about the height of your waist. Reaching up to grab something can increase fall risk for those with balance issues, reaching down to grab something can increase fall risk from placing the head below the heart, which can cause dizziness.
  • Purging: No room for the things you need where you need them?  It may be time to reduce your load if you’ve outgrown the need for something.  Or, new display shelving can be installed higher for treasured items which need to be relocated.
  • Step Stools: If you must use a step stool, get one with a bar you can hold onto for support.  Never use a chair as a step stool.