10 Tips To Promote DIY Safety For Seniors

Aging brings its fair share of challenges, but this doesn’t mean seniors need to stop completely. You can still engage in many of your favorite activities, including DIY projects.

In fact, keeping to the things you love can make retirement much easier and much more enjoyable. Doing so can even help with your sense of purpose and lead to better mental health. 

The trick is to be wise. You won’t have the same strength and capabilities as in your youth, so it’s important to adapt your approaches to keep yourself safe. Here are our top safety tips to help you do the things you love for much longer.

DIY Safety for Seniors 

Prioritize Wisdom

The first and most important aspect of staying safe is wisdom.

This involves reframing your goals a little to focus on what’s wise to do instead of looking at what you’re capable of.

Why? Because seniors can still do many of the same tasks as when they were younger. However, those activities may now be riskier, more challenging, and come with a greater energy cost. 

So, it’s worth weighing things up more carefully. Think about the risks and benefits of activities for you now. Which ones are still worth doing? Which aren’t? 

Avoid Risky Tasks

Some tasks naturally come with a decent amount of risk. This includes electrical work and anything involving heights and power tools. 

The challenge isn’t just the tasks themselves either, as their setup can sometimes put you at risk too. Like, for gutter cleaning, you might need to lug a ladder across the yard and could easily trip. Moving heavy furniture is tough too, as you can easily hurt yourself. 

The list below highlights tasks that may be risky. Many seniors will need to avoid these entirely, while others may be able to complete the tasks if they’re very cautious and plan well. 

• Electrical work, like replacing outlets and installing light fixtures. There’s a risk of shocks here and much of the work requires precision that can be difficult for seniors. 
• Installing floors. While there’s less inherent danger here, installing floors does involve getting down on your hands and knees and a decent amount of bending. Seniors can easily strain themselves in the process and cause significant harm. 
• Anything with a ladder. There’s always a risk of falling when you work up a ladder. The risk is increased for seniors, as age can decrease balance and coordination. Such changes are bad enough when you’re at ground level. They’re so much worse when you’re up a ladder. 
• Home renovations. Renovating the home exposes you to multiple hazards, including dust, debris, and chemicals. Any one of these can cause harm, especially if you’re not careful. 
• Plumbing. Despite seeming low risk, plumbing repairs can expose seniors to harmful chemicals, mold, and mildew. Plus, any repairs that aren’t completed correctly could cause significant harm later. 
• Tree trimming. This task involves heavy branches, heights, and sometimes even electrical tools. The combination means there’s some risk even for experts. For seniors, the risk is much higher.   

Steer Clear of Heights and Power Tools

Of all the risky areas, heights and power tools are the ones to be most cautious of. These are the areas where a senior’s losses in coordination and balance become the most obvious. 

And, it only takes one slight misjudgment for a serious accident to occur. 

There’s another crucial thing too – aging makes people less resilient. So, what would have been a minor accident when the senior was younger can now cause serious long-term harm. 

Such accidents are also much more common and harmful than you might imagine. Some people suffer long-term decreases in their quality of life and some accidents are even fatal.  

Be Cautious of Slippery Floors

Slippery floors are an easily overlooked hazard, one that can lead to nasty falls. Here, aging-related decreases in balance strongly contribute to the problem, as do eyesight changes. 

This issue isn’t even limited to the person performing the DIY, as any family member could also fall on the slippery floor.  

Be Cautious and Pay Attention

Many DIY accidents happen because people aren’t paying enough attention. Perhaps they’ve done this same task dozens of times before or a family member is talking to them. Whatever the situation, inattention increases the risk of a fall, power tool injury, or other issue. 

Even if you’ve done the same task hundreds of times before, it’s best to pay close attention. This alone decreases their risk of an accident and helps to keep them much safer. 

It’s also important to go over basic principles of staying safe, including ladder safety techniques. Such approaches can make a huge difference, yet they’re surprisingly easy to overlook.  

Opt for a Low Maintenance Home

If you’re turning to DIY because it’s cheaper, you may need to think about where you live. Downsizing to a smaller home with less maintenance can be a powerful way of staying safe at home as you age. 

When doing so, it’s important to think about the future. Consider not only what you need now but what you might need to stay safe when your physical abilities decrease further. 

For example, a one-story house is generally safer than a two-story one. You might also look for a place with a small garden, so the outdoor tasks never get too overwhelming. 

You might also consider things that reduce maintenance needs, like gutter guards, and those that make mobility easier, like installing a wheelchair ramp. 

Remember, even if you’re still very capable now, your physical abilities could easily decrease as you age. By planning ahead, you can reduce stress and ensure good quality of life for many years to come. 

Enjoy Your Yard

Gardening is a favorite hobby for many people, young and old, and it isn’t one you need to give up. 

Instead, a few adaptations are all that’s needed to keep gardening safe and enjoyable. For example, you might use a garden cart or seat to reduce the amount of sitting and standing you need. A raised garden bed or planting pots can help as well.

If your physical abilities are limited, try hiring someone for the parts of gardening you don’t enjoy. For example, you might hire someone to rake leaves or pull weeds, while you still do all the planting and planning for your garden.  

Opt for Safe Tasks That You Enjoy

On that note, let’s talk about enjoyment. 

Many people choose DIY because it helps them to feel engaged and fulfilled. You don’t need to stop doing this because you age. It’s simply a matter of choosing activities more carefully. 

Think of tasks like painting baseboards or walls (without a ladder), decluttering your home, organizing closets, or simply doing some spring cleaning.

It’s also worth mentioning that if you want to tackle a bigger project but are worried you’ll tire too easily to finish it all, break it up into steps. For example, if you want to declutter your house, begin with a room or a portion of a room and create a schedule that eventually takes you around the whole house.

Alternatively, you might choose to skip DIY and focus on crafts instead, like perhaps using woodworking skills to make toys for the grandchildren. You should be able to find some crafts that offer a sense of accomplishment, while also keeping your risk low. 

Look for Alternatives

DIY tasks often aren’t essential. Or, at the very least, it isn’t essential that the senior does the task. There are often other people who can step up, like adult children or a neighbor. 

Failing this, why not call on a professional? This way the task gets done without any risk. Seniors can always find safer ways of staying active and engaged.

There may also be local services for some of your needs, like a neighborhood kid who mows lawns or someone who will clear out your gutters for a small fee. This way you get to support people in your local area while keeping yourself safe.  

Get Some Company

Finally, if you’re not willing to give up on DIY, why not find a partner? Perhaps you could work on DIY tasks with your adult son or even grandson. 

Doing so makes the whole process safer and perhaps more enjoyable too. The occasion could even act as a chance for bonding, while still allowing you to stay active and engaged. 

Final Thoughts

While aging increases vulnerability, it doesn’t mean you need to stop living your life. You can still do many of the things you enjoy, including DIY. 

The trick is to be wise. This includes choosing your activities carefully and making adjustments where needed. 

This is something to take seriously. 

Sure, it can be a bit embarrassing to make adjustments because you’re aging, but doing so is a natural part of life. Making such changes helps to keep you safe and healthy for longer. That’s much better than trying to recover from a broken leg because you stubbornly wanted to clean the gutters like you used to.

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