KAMLOOPS, B.C. — For many seniors, home is not the safe place they need it to be.
Sometimes there are physical risks from stairs, slippery floors and difficult bathtubs. Other times obstacles to independent living are caused by fear — of being alone or just feeling unsafe.
Whatever the issue, it’s an unfortunate reality that for many seniors, homes don’t offer security but rob them of quality of life instead.
It doesn’t need to be that way, said Suzan Goguen, the manager of the Kamloops and District Seniors Outreach Services Society.
With a little help — and there are many ways to get that help — seniors can stay at home much longer than they think.
And they can feel secure while doing it.
Goguen said seniors want to live at home for as long as they can. There is no doubt, though, that there are new considerations for seniors who want to stay put.
Often, the physical design or layout of a home needs to be modified. Bathrooms must be changed and kitchens rearranged.
Stairs that pose little barrier to younger folk can be significant obstacles to older people. Even changing the placement of furniture or moving appliances around in the kitchen can be useful.
Goguen said the outreach society is in the process of bringing back a useful service once offered, a home safety inspection service for seniors.
Volunteers will come to a person’s home to help identify aspects of the home that could or should be improved. A key aspect of the service will be in identifying risks that could lead to falls.
Goguen said falls are the leading cause of injury for seniors. More than 80 per cent of injury-related hospitalization for people 65 and older stem from falls, and many of those happen in the home.
Falls can lead to serious injuries, she said, often with dire consequences. Twenty per cent of seniors who suffer a broken hip do not live more than another year.
The society has other useful programs that offer seniors support in their homes. One simple program is the Good Morning program, which calls seniors daily to check-in.
Such a simple thing can make he difference to someone who is elderly and can alleviate the fear many have that they could hurt themselves and not be discovered for too long.
What if improvements are needed to someone’s home? Renovations can be expensive.
The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. may have an answer. The federal agency offers a couple of financial programs to help seniors stay at home longer.
Home Adaptation for Seniors Independence offers financial assistance for minor renovations that aim to help low-income seniors better live in their homes.
Another program offers grants to families to build a secondary suite in a house in order to have an elderly relative live with them.
Security in the home involves more than just the physical surroundings. It can also mean emotional and psychological security — feeling safe is as important as making sure the place is sound.
RCMP Sgt. Scott Wilson heads up the detachment’s crime prevention programs. He said many seniors do not feel safe in their homes, fearing they will be the victims of crime, especially if they live alone.
The RCMP also have a home visitation program that can go a long way to identifying potential issues and give someone the confidence to know their house is secure.
As well, the program will help people know how to act or react if something does happen. Many seniors are reluctant to call police, he said, because they don’t want to be seen as a bother.
“We need to let them know they are not bothering us, they can call us anytime,” he said. “(Seniors) don’t want to be a nuisance. They are not.”
The RCMP can also help seniors who live alone be less vulnerable to a different kind of threat — the scam artist. Wilson said elderly people who live alone are frequently targeted by over-aggressive salesmen or plain old fraud artists.
“(Seniors) represent a vulnerable group, because they come from a different time, when the world was a lot different,” Wilson said. “They seem to be more trusting.”
The home visitation program will help seniors understand they do not have to answer the door to someone who knocks, that it’s OK to refuse a salesman entry.