A half step for elderly people can give you the peace of mind you need and your loved one the independence they crave. As people get older, they do not like to become dependent on their loved ones or feel as though they are a burden. Quite the opposite. Elderly people often fight to keep their independence, asking their bodies to keep going at a pace that sadly they can’t keep up with.
Half Step for Elderly : Outside Use
The first place that a half step for elderly people with limited mobility like one you can buy here comes in handy is outside, at the entrance to their home. Homes in the UK always have a front door step, or a flight of stairs. If they didn’t, homes would flood due to our high rainfall. The problem is that the steps found on UK homes are not suited to people using a walking frame or stick.
Depending on the age of the property in question, the steps may not even be straight anymore, having been worn down after many years and decades of use. Steps outside homes are normally made of hard concrete. Concrete is slippery when wet and a disaster for anyone who is not steady on their feet.
A half step for elderly people will fit on top of the original step. Made of a slip-proof material, the step will be wide enough to accommodate a frame or elderly person using a walking stick. The underside of the step is specially designed to stick to the concrete step underneath. This type of step is not expensive, and can give independence back to your loved ones. Not only are traditional steps slippery, they are also quite deep, this causing problems with those who have limited movement in their knees.
Half Steps for Inside the Home
A half step for disabled is also useful in the home. It can be used in the kitchen to provide a place to stand while trying to reach on top of counters, or it can be used to help your family member get in and out of the bath. Half steps that are designed for use in bathrooms will include a grab rail; this type of design can also be used outside of the home to provide higher levels of safety.
If your relative is losing their mobility but still living in a two storey home, half steps can also be used to help them get up and down stairs. In this case you will need a half step for each stair, something that can be costly. If your relative has limited movement in their knees and legs, then moving to a bungalow or other single storey home is a better solution all round.
If you are stuck with a property that is unsuitable, then another way to make the home safe is to move everything to the ground floor. This is possible if their is a toilet downstairs. A stair gate can be put in place to stop your relative trying to climb the stairs unless you are there to help them.