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What Do You Need to Pay Attention to in Your Elderly Loved One’s Kitchen?

Elder Care in Galion OH

Your loved one’s kitchen is a complicated room. There are likely quite a few different activities that take place in that room from socializing with loved ones to cooking meals for everyone in the family. Keeping the kitchen as safe as you can is an important task.

Overall Safety in the Kitchen

Safety problems in your loved one’s kitchen can be subtle and small, such as having leftovers in the fridge for a little too long or expired condiments. Bigger safety issues, such as evidence of a prior fire, need to be addressed immediately. Look for both large signs of safety problems as well as smaller problems.

Appliance Safety

If your loved one can’t safely operate her appliances, she may run into serious issues. Check the controls on her major appliances to be sure that your loved one can operate them properly. Also check that your loved one can read the displays on all of her appliances. If there are problems, see about switching out using larger appliances for other countertop versions that are easier for your loved one to operate on her own.

Accessibility in the Kitchen

Getting around easily and safely in the kitchen is essential for your elderly loved one. Make sure that she can reach everything that she normally needs to access. Also verify that any clutter or obstructions are moved out of the way. You may need to rearrange cabinets, your love one’s refrigerator, and her pantry in order to make sure that you improve the accessibility for your loved one.

Cleanliness Contributes to Safety

Your loved one’s kitchen may not be as clean as a sterile lab, and that’s okay. It does need to be free of gunk, mold, and other evidence of a dirty kitchen. If your loved one isn’t able to keep her kitchen as clean as she’s always liked, work out a system so that the kitchen is cleaned regularly, whether that’s something that you do for her or that someone else does. Don’t forget to clean the oven, the interior of the fridge, and the freezer periodically, too.

Work with your loved one’s elder care providers to help you set up a checklist for assessing kitchen safety for your loved one.

If you are considering hiring elder care in Galion, Ohio, call the caring staff at Central Star Home Health at (419) 610-2161.  Providing services for families in Mansfield, Lexington, Bellville, Mt. Gilead, Loudonville, Crestline, Galion, Shelby, Ashland, Wooster, and the surrounding areas.

Stephen Sternbach

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