What are home safety assessments and how they can help our elderly community members age in place

The team at Holistic Annex works regularly with our aging population. We find that the majority of our aging clients and their families get in touch with us after a fall or age-related injury has already happened. At this point, they are looking for guidance and information on how to remain in their homes as long as possible while managing their injury. One of the first things we recommend is to have a home safety assessment done and create a plan to implement the recommendations identified from the assessment. 

All that said, we strongly recommend home safety assessments before an injury occurs to prevent injuries and prolong aging in place even further! 

What is a home safety assessment? A home safety assessment is an evaluation of a person’s home to identify and eliminate potential safety risks and hazards as well as optimize participation in daily activities by modifying the home environment. Our Occupational Therapists will do a scan of the living environment, ask specific questions to identify barriers and challenges, and recommend changes that will make the home easier and safer to live in. This allows the person to feel safer, more functional, and more confident about being in their home and provides peace of mind to their families.

After completing the home assessment we make sure to follow up and provide guidance in implementing and problem-solving through the implementation of the recommendations made.

We believe that our aging population deserves the very best care and support that we can provide to help optimize help and engagement in everyday life!!