{"id":17,"date":"2015-01-16T16:03:38","date_gmt":"2015-01-16T16:03:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stories.kera.org\/broken-hip\/?p=17"},"modified":"2015-12-31T15:50:25","modified_gmt":"2015-12-31T15:50:25","slug":"making-your-home-fall-proof-theres-no-place-like-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stories.kera.org\/the-broken-hip\/2015\/01\/16\/making-your-home-fall-proof-theres-no-place-like-home\/","title":{"rendered":"There’s No Place Like Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

Home design and technology have changed dramatically over the last two decades. Someone who’s fractured a hip might once have been forced into a nursing home. Now it’s possible to \u201cage in place.\u201d Design breakthroughs make that possible.<\/em><\/p>\n

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For Courtney Sands, last year was a nightmare.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s just erase 2013 from our memory book,” she said. “Several surgeries and just one difficult time after another.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

In December, at age 81, Sands landed in a hospital after slipping and breaking her wrist and hip. But she was determined to get back to her beloved home. Her daughter, Heather Stephens, a nurse who lives in California, wasn’t so sure.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be honest with you, I was hoping she would not want to return home,\u201d Stephens said.<\/p>\n

Home is a one-story North Dallas ranch house where Sands has lived since 1963. Not much inside had changed since.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe really wasn\u2019t safe,” Stephens said. “She would walk around the house hanging onto furniture or gripping door jams.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephens faced a challenge: \u201cMake the house as safe as possible for her to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ninety percent of people over the age of 65 say they want to stay in their home as long as they possibly can, according to the AARP.<\/a><\/p>\n

Sands is no exception. Sitting next to her living room piano, she said she loves everything about her house. There\u2019s an old gas stove in the kitchen, vintage woven cane chairs, white iron chairs, original sky blue tile and floral wallpaper.<\/p>\n

\u201c[It\u2019s a] good neighborhood, pleasant surroundings,” Sands said. “It\u2019s home.”<\/p>\n

On a hunt for trip hazards<\/h4>\n

Instead of leaving, Sands and her daughter hired Adam Mandel, a certified aging-in-place specialist with a company called Independent Living Design.<\/a><\/p>\n

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Courtney Sands’ 80th birthday in 2012. Last year, she slipped at home, fracturing her wrist and hip. Courtesy Heather Stephens<\/p><\/div>\n

One of the first things he does when he visits a home? Look for trip hazards.<\/p>\n

That can be as simple as tossing throw rugs or rearranging furniture. One slip can lead to a cascade of problems, from surgery to physical therapy to assisted living.<\/p>\n

Narrow doors are an issue. Mandel\u2019s clients often leave their walkers outside the bathroom since they can\u2019t get through the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s when the fall happens,\u201d he said. \u201cThey’re grabbing onto counters or sinks. Something happens. They fall.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mandel recently walked through Sands\u2019 home, showing the improvements he made. He expanded the 24-inch door frames to 32 inches \u2013 and kept the sky blue tiles and pink wallpaper almost undisturbed.<\/p>\n

This leaves Sands with no excuse not to use her walker. Now she can be “married to her walker,” her daughter said.<\/p>\n

Mandel pointed out the bathroom shower.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll these falls, a majority of them take place in the bathtub or shower because it\u2019s a wet area and it gets really slippery,\u201d he said. \u201cI want to put in really good grab bars.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several silver bars are anchored to the wall for Sands to grab. Nearby is a bench she sits on when she bathes. The tub is also outfitted with an adjustable sliding shower head.<\/p>\n

Sands admits she didn\u2019t like the idea of grab bars. At first, she thought they looked like prison bars. But now she likes them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are my good friends now,\u201d she said.
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    Adam Mandel with Independent Living Design expanded the 24-inch door frames to 32 inches to make it easier to move a walker through the doorways.<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n
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    Adam Mandel with Independent Living Design showed the improvements he made in Courtney Sands' bathroom. They include grab bars in the bathtub and an adjustable sliding shower head.<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n
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    This 16-foot-long wooden ramp is designed with a specific slope that\u2019s easy for someone in a walker or wheelchair to maneuver.<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n
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