Tips for Increasing Staircase Safety, One Step at a Time

There are a quite a few health conditions that are more common among the elderly. While these conditions are not a normal part of the aging process, none the less, they can greatly affect the lift of a senior.

One of the most common diseases is osteoporosis, which is much more common among females and causes the bones to become much more brittle. As a result of osteoporosis, even a short fall that is low impact can cause a broken hip or knee. Arthritis is another common disease among seniors, which causes joint inflammation and can make it difficult to walk or get up out of a chair. Problems with vision, such as glaucoma, are also more common among seniors.

Alone, any one of these disorders could have a very big impact on a seniors life, but often the elderly will suffer from a combination of mobility related disorders, which can make getting around much difficult. With this knowledge, it is no surprise that falls on the stairs are so common among seniors and that they can be so serious.

Falls on the stairs happen for a number of reasons, such as a missed step due to poor vision or joint pain, and while they can not always be prevented, there are a number of ways to greatly reduce the risk of a senior fall.

Tips for Making the Stairs Safer and Easier to Use for Seniors

One of the most important steps in preventing senior falls on the stairs is to ensure that the stairs can safely be used by the senior. This involves not only evaluating the condition of the stairs themselves, but also the area around the stairs.

Below, you will find some tips for increasing staircase safety for seniors:

• Ensure the staircase is in good repair: Fix any loose steps, make certain the steps are level and uniform in size.
• Ensure there is proper lighting: The stairs and both landings, top and bottom, should be well lit. Make sure that there are switches at both the top and bottom of the stairs, so that it is never necessary to use the stairs in the dark.
• Ensure the banister is secure and in good repair: The banister should be securely bolted to the wall and should be made of a smooth easy to grasp material. It should not be too large or have sharp edges. Studies have also shown that having two banisters, one on either side of the staircase, reduces the risk of a fall.
• Ensure there are no loose rugs near the staircase: Loose rugs, such as throw rugs, should be avoided in all areas of the home, as the corner can turn up causing a tripping hazard or the rug itself can slip. However, loose rugs are most dangerous when placed near the staircase.
• Add Colorful Textured Tape to the steps: This serves two purposes, in that it makes the steps easier to see and provides a skid resistant surface. Consider alternating high-contrast colors between steps and using a different color on the first and last step.
• Don’t just think about big staircases: It is important to not only consider the large staircases, but also any steps in the home. This includes the steps on the front of the house, as well as any other steps, such as a step down into the living room.

While in many cases, these staircase safety tips will greatly reduce the risk of a senior fall, it is also important to determine whether the senior can safely use the staircase in the first place. If, whether due to disease or mental capacity, the elderly individual is simply unable to use the stairs safely, then the above tips might not be enough. In these cases, it may be simply necessary to consider other living situations where stairs are not an issue, such as an assisted living community, finding ways of avoiding the stairs in the home, or perhaps installing some sort of lifting aid, like a stair lift.

The stairs are quite literally the biggest enemy of the elderly, with a large number of annual falls reported by seniors. It is essential to take measures to make the stairs safer and easier to use before a fall happens, rather than waiting until it is too late.