Kitchen Safety for Seniors

There’s no doubt about it. Cooking is immensely therapeutic. There’s something special about preparing and enjoying good food, even if the meal or piece of baking is simple. Food can evoke positive emotions too, bringing forward memories of good moments and special people.

Besides that, cooking good food is vital for health. Homemade food is much more nutritious than anything heavily processed from your local store – and is often cheaper too.

The importance of cooking is why we need to talk about kitchen safety for seniors. After all, while the kitchen is a place of warm memories and special moments, it can also be a danger zone. Many things can go wrong, such as fires, burns, cuts, and food poisoning.

This doesn’t mean that seniors shouldn’t cook. Not at all.

Most seniors should still be able to prepare food safely. The trick is to think carefully about kitchen safety for seniors and make wise decisions about the kitchen. This way seniors remain safe and keep their independence.

Thankfully, there are many ways to improve kitchen safety.

Some approaches are as simple as clearing more space, keeping things in easy reach, and improving lighting. Others may require you to buy some specific products to make life easier, like cut-resistant gloves.

What you end up with will depend on your budget and the specific challenges you or your family members face. But, don’t worry, improving kitchen safety isn’t as difficult as it sounds. Even a few simple changes can make a world of difference.

So, in this post, we’re digging into key areas of kitchen safety for seniors and showing you how to make cooking easier and safer.

Lighting

Eyesight often worsens as people get older. This makes poorly lit rooms and dark corners a particular problem.

Even if your kitchen isn’t dark, the lighting might be sub-par and leave some areas underlit. Increasing the amount of light can help seniors to clearly see what they’re doing. This simple change makes everything safer.

How you go about this will depend on your kitchen. Some options are as follows:

• Substitute old-fashioned toggle switches with rocker light switches (like these ones). Rocker switches are easier to use and can often be switched on or off by nudging them with your elbow. This is perfect for anyone with their hands full or for arthritic seniors.
• Make sure light switches are in useful places. For example, you shouldn’t need to walk across the room to turn on the light that’s above the stove. You might need to talk to an electrician to remedy any cases of poorly placed switches.
• If possible, use some natural lighting. Blinds can be a perfect tool, as they can be left partly open, which allows some sun to enter without much glare. A skylight is another useful way to introduce natural light into a room.
• Focus on task-lighting. This means that you make sure areas that are heavily used are well-lit. For example, a single countertop or kitchen island might be used for most of the prep work in the kitchen. Adding some overhead or under-cabinet lights (like these ones) can help to light this area up better, making food prep safer.
• Choose the type of bulb carefully. Light bulbs aren’t all the same. Bulbs that emit soft white light are often more appealing than those with a more yellow light. You might even use an LED strip in some cases. Pay attention to the bulb’s strength too, as you need to be providing enough light to the area. It might take some trial and error to find the right bulb for your kitchen.
• Make sure the lighting is good at night too. Your lighting should be good enough that the kitchen is completely usable even late at night.
• Think about night lights. These can help elderly family members to find light switches and avoid hazards in the kitchen at night. However, night lights need to be placed carefully, as they can overheat. Make sure they’re kept away from curtains, drapes, and anything flammable.

Kitchen Design

Most of us don’t have much say over our kitchen design – as the kitchen is how it is.

Still, if you’re thinking about building a home, moving house, or doing a kitchen re-design, there are some key areas to consider.

Kitchen Placement

Your kitchen should be on the ground floor. This is the most accessible level, as many people struggle with stairs later in life. Besides, keeping the kitchen on ground level makes indoor-outdoor flow that much easier.

Space Requirements

It should be easy to enter and exit your kitchen too. Wide entryways are important here, along with plenty of space to move around.

Having lots of space is critical when you have multiple people in the kitchen at the time. More space means less likelihood that people will get in each other’s way or have accidents. This extra space also helps seniors who need walkers or wheelchairs.

For example, a standard clearance of 36’ is recommended for kitchen islands, which gives enough clearance for a single person to walk around. 40’ is recommended for multiple kitchen users.

Wheelchair users need 42’ to 48’ of space and a solid 6’ ﹾturning diameter.

Even if there are no wheelchair users in your family, it’s still worth planning as if there are. You never know what the future will hold and it’s better to have too much space than not enough.

The Floor

Having a slip resistant floor is essential. A single fall can dramatically impact a senior’s independence and some never regain their full mobility or confidence after.

Kitchen floors often rely on marble or tile. Floors like this look good and are easy to clean, but they can be serious slip hazards. Their hardness can be uncomfortable for seniors too and could make back and hip problems worse.

Vinyl is a much better choice.

It is still easy to clean, but also tends to be slip-resistant and won’t glare in the sun.   

Countertops

Countertops are one of the most widely used parts of the kitchen. While they’re fairly benign, some countertop choices are better than others.

First of all, think about the height of your countertops. There isn’t just a single height anymore. You can get lower ones.

36 inches is considered standard, but 30 inches is often better for people with disabilities, including wheelchair users. 30 inches could also work well for anyone who plans to sit while prepping food.

Think about the corners of your counters too. These should be rounded to prevent injury.

The countertop you choose matters too. Quartz and granite are sometimes recommended, as they don’t emit much glare and can be easily wiped clean.

Appearance

Surprisingly, the way your kitchen looks can affect safety too.

The best approach is to focus on light and dark contrasts. This makes objects easy to distinguish, especially if they are next to one another.

This type of contrast is important for elderly family members whose sight is impaired. The kitchen is also easier to use in low lighting and by people who have forgotten their glasses, making it safer overall.

Seating

Seats rarely feature in a kitchen and many don’t even have enough space. But, who says that you need to be standing to prep food in the kitchen?

If your loved one struggles to stand for long periods, or is simply more comfortable sitting sometimes, why not have that option? It’s not too difficult to find a chair that’s tall enough to use at a kitchen counter, but is still easy enough to get in and out of.

Or, if that doesn’t work, what about setting up a separate area? A small table and chair, perhaps. Even just using a section of the dining table just for meal prep could work well enough.

Regardless, giving elderly cooks a place to sit can make a large difference. Doing so decreases the risk that they’ll fall and can also make cooking much more enjoyable.

Cabinets

Cabinets are essential for storage. Any cook will regularly go into them cupboards looking for ingredients, utensils, appliances, and countless other things.

Designing the cabinets well and organizing is a critical part of kitchen safety for seniors.

• Cabinet doors should be easy to open and close.
• Use racks and containers within cabinets to help organize their contents. This way there’s no need to dig around and little risk of items falling out.
• Make sure all cabinets are easy-to-access. Most should be below shoulder height, so that items can’t drop onto someone’s head.
• Pull down shelves and pull out cabinets can be useful in some situations. They make cabinets easier to use and help to keep everything close at hand.
• Keep the most frequently used items in the cabinets that are the easiest to access.
• Don’t create stacks of heavy plates, bowls, or serving items, as the senior would need to pick up some of them to access others, which could end badly.
• Keep heavy appliances at bench level, so no one needs to bend down and haul them up from low cabinets.
• Keep cabinets organized. They can get cluttered easily, which makes them much more difficult to use. You may need to do a semi-regular clear out and get rid of items that aren’t being used.
• Make sure that cabinets are well lit. Even a simple interior light can make a large difference.

You can even remove the doors on cabinets to make them easier to use. While the cabinets might not look as good without their doors, keeping the kitchen safe is a much more important goal.

Appliances and Tools

It’s also important to be certain that any appliances and kitchen tools are elder friendly.

Focus on ones that have many safety features and get good reviews. For example, the best kettle will have an easy to grip handle that stays cool and will have a water level sensor that prevents the kettle from trying to boil when there is no water present.

Some general principles to watch out for include the following:

• Choose products with larger handles rather than smaller ones. This makes the item easier to move around.
• If the senior is only cooking for one or two people, consider smaller products. For example, a mini electric skillet could be more than enough for most meals and is much lighter than a large one.
• If the product has a digital display, make sure that this is large and that the writing is clear. This way the elder can easily read it.
• Avoid complicated products with many features. These can get overwhelming fast. Simpler products tend to be better, as seniors will already understand how to use them.

Think about where kitchen tools are kept too. While it’s tempting to keep everything out on the bench, doing so can leave you with a cluttered bench that’s difficult to use.

Some appliances can be mounted to the wall. This saves counter space and gives you the chance to position things in the optimal location.

Microwaves and toaster ovens are often perfect for seniors. They’re safer and easier to use than a full oven. You could also consider an electric skillet.

As for the stove itself, look for models that have safety features, such as automatic shutoff. Some modern stoves can even be set with lockout times to prevent them from being used at night.

Pots and pans should be well-chosen. Look for ones that have good grips and aren’t too heavy.

And finally, avoid glassware as much as possible. Breaking something made of glass can be a bigger problem than anything else that the senior might break.

Fire Safety

Fires in the kitchen mightn’t happen often, but they can be disastrous when they do occur. Seniors may be more likely to start a fire due to forgetfulness and cognitive decline.  

The most powerful way to promote kitchen safety for seniors here is to make sure you’re always present when they cook.

Of course, that’s a time-intensive idea and often won’t be possible. The approach mightn’t be well-received either. Would you want someone standing over your shoulder every time you cook?

Installing closed circuit cameras is a less ambitious idea, although you would still need to monitor these. You could also look at hiring some type of home help to keep them company during cooking or even cook for them.

Still, in most cases, you’ll need to do the best that you can and trust the senior to take care of themselves too. Some steps that you can take include:

• Make sure there is a smoke detector near the kitchen and that it is sensitive enough to pick up on any problems early on.
• Make sure that flammable objects aren’t stored anywhere near the stovetop.
• Talk to your elderly family member about the clothing that they wear when cooking. Loose flowing clothing could easily come in contact with a burner.
• Install a cooktop fire suppressor. These can be installed above the stovetop and can be set to automatically suppress the fire.
• Talk to the senior about what to do if there is a fire, including who to call. Be clear about whether they should try and put the fire out themselves or not. After all, they could easily put themselves in harms way if they try to put the fire out.
• Look for a ceramic stovetop rather than a traditional coil-based stovetop. An induction stovetop can be even better. While these don’t work with all types of cookware, they have more safety features than other types of stovetops. It’s much harder to start a fire with one of these than with a regular stovetop.

Food Safety

Keeping your family member safe during cooking isn’t the only area to think about with food safety for seniors. The food that they prepare needs to be safe too.

Expired food is a major area to consider here. Many seniors end up forgetting about food and leaving it until well-past its expiry date. It’s not unusual for adult children to do regular clear outs when they come to visit.

That being said, most of us have some expired food sitting in our cupboards. It’s easy to forget about the odd can here and there or some leftovers at the back of the fridge.

Pay more attention to how much expired food is present and whether the senior appears to be using it or not. If there seems to be an issue, you may need to check for expired food and clear it out regularly, or perhaps talk to the senior about the problem and look for solutions.

Cleanliness and Organization

The final aspect of kitchen safety for seniors is making sure that the kitchen is clean and organized.

Having plenty of cupboard space and shelves for storage can help here.

Clutter should be kept to a minimum. When there’s a lot of clutter it’s easy for items to be knocked over and broken. A senior could easily hurt themselves when trying to stop an item from falling or trying to retrieve it.

Keeping things clean matters too. This includes making sure that surfaces are regularly wiped down and there is no grease build up. The senior should be able to do this themselves and most will have done so throughout their lives. Still, this is something to keep an eye on, as a build up of grime could indicate that the senior is struggling to care for themselves.