If you run a senior housing facility, protecting the well-being of your residents is important to you. However, in addition to wanting to genuinely keep them safe, you may also wish to look out for their well-being so you can avoid an accident. If a senior citizen slips and falls on your property, they may be able to file a personal injury claim. Here are a few ways you can reduce your liability against personal injury claims for senior citizens who use walkers in your senior housing facility.
Make Sure You Have Walkways Free of Debris or Tripping Hazards
One of the easiest ways to prevent senior citizens from tripping or slipping and falling while using a walkways to ensure you have walkways that are free of debris and tripping hazards. And ensure these walkways are wide enough to accommodate a walker. If you have cords, bunched up carpet or broken tiles on the ground, a walker can get stuck. The momentum of the person pushing the walker may cause them to fall if the walker doesn't move as they do. Taking the time to ensure walkways are in good condition and free of hazards can prevent this from happening.
Prevent Walkways From Becoming Slippery
A walker may help support the weight of an elderly person and provide them stability. However, it won't help prevent someone from slipping if the ground is slippery. Placing salt over ice to help it melt and ensuring you don't use cleaning products that make tile slippery are a few of the ways you can prevent the ground from becoming slippery. Additionally, emphasizing the importance of reporting and cleaning up spills to your residents and staff members can help make the walkways safe for anyone who uses them.
Ensure Areas are Well-Lit
The last way that you can reduce the odds of a senior using a walker slipping and falling at your senior housing facility is to ensure all areas are well-lit. If a light bulb has burnt out and isn't replaced, or the area doesn't have enough light, seniors with already reduced eyesight may fail to see what is in front of them. They may not see a step, a hazard or other items that can cause them to fall down. Ensuring an area is well-lit helps illuminate the space for those using walkers, so they can see what they have to navigate around.
As a property owner, it is your responsibility to ensure your property is well-kept and safe. If you own a senior housing facility, making sure your walkways are free of tripping hazards, aren't slippery and are well-lit can help prevent those who use walkers from slipping and falling. This can reduce the likelihood that a personal injury slip and fall claim will be filed against you or your facility.
If you're looking for a senior housing company, visit Stillwaters Colonial Residence.
Share14 April 2016
When I started looking for a care center for my mother, I decided that I needed to learn a little more about nursing home amenities. I wanted her to be in a safe, happy, fun place, but I didn't know what to look for. To make my search easier, I picked up a piece of paper and a pen and started calling different facilities. I made a list of all of the exciting, new features that places were offering, and then I showed the list to my mom. I let her decide where to stay and what she wanted to do. This blog is all about recognizing great nursing home amenities, so that you can keep the people that you love happy and content.