HOW TO ARRANGE A HOMEBOUND PERSON’S ENVIRONMENT

There are many simple, inexpensive ways to make a home safer and more comfortable for a homebound person. Most of the equipment that may be needed to make these home adjustments can be bought at a hardware store; other adjustments can be made at no cost.

  1. If the person is confined to bed, make sure a TV, radio, and telephone are accessible, as well as books and magazines, a reading lamp, call bell, water pitcher and glass, clock, and calendar.
  2. Put the homebound person in a first-floor room, even if it means converting another room into a bedroom. If steps can’t be avoided, try to install a ramp.
  3. If possible, the room should be colorful and have a nice view.
  4. The bathroom should be on the same floor, close to the person’s room.
  5. Install handrails in hallways and in bathrooms next to the toilet and in the shower. Bars make walking and getting up and down easier and safer.
  6. Remove all elevated doorsills or install a ramp over them.
  7. Eliminate shag carpets and slick floors and scatter rugs because of the danger of falls. Use only rugs with nonskid backs.
  8. Make sure lighting is bright and adequate in the person’s room and hallways.
  9. In case of fire, prepare a plan of escape.
  10. If the person is hard of hearing, turn the phone buzzer on loud or even install an amplifier on the phone.
  11. Apply adhesive strips to the bathtub to prevent slipping.
  12. Place a bench in the bathtub for easy and safe access.
  13. Make wrist straps for those with walkers and canes to prevent dropping them. Straps can be made of tape, cloth, or rope.
  14. Enlarge handles of knives, forks, and spoons to enable weak or arthritic patients to hold the utensils with less effort and more control. Try foam rubber, Velcro, cloth, or garden hose.
  15. Plastic mattress covers protect a bed if a person eats or bathes in bed or is incontinent. Add a mattress pad over the plastic for comfort and to avoid slipping. Since these pads must be changed immediately when soiled, several will be needed.
  16. Change door handles to a lever type rather than a knob to assist a weak or arthritic person.
  17. Make sure their chairs have arms with which to push themselves up.

At more expense, the following equipment can be obtained to make a homebound person more comfortable. This equipment can be purchased or rented through a hospital, surgical supply store, or pharmacy. Depending on a person’s medical condition, Medicare may reimburse for some of these items.

  1. Buy or rent an electric or manual hospital bed to help the person sit up and get in and out of bed.
  2. Purchase side rails for a regular bed if a person needs help getting in and out of bed or something to hold when turning over in bed.
  3. To reduce the chance of bedsores, purchase a waterbed, air mattress, or foam padding for a person confined to bed.
  4. Install a trapeze above a bed so the person can grab it to move around in bed.
  5. Purchase an overbed table like those used in hospitals to facilitate eating, reading, and writing in bed.
  6. Purchase an easy-lift chair, which is a mechanical or electric chair with a seat that lifts to make getting in and out easier. Secondhand chairs may be available from the Red Cross or Salvation Army.
  7. Purchase a walker to increase safety and ease in walking alone.