Resources for Better Elder Living (02)

Home Design: Small Improvements to Make Your Home Senior-Ready
From AARP comes this extremely useful site on how to improve your home and get it ready for when you become a senior citizen. For current elders, here are some great ways to make your house easier to live in, and to add value to it. It includes 10 low-cost ideas for improving the safety and comfortability of your home, as well as a bathroom checklist and ways to improve the lighting in your home. Do you have a physical disability? There are plenty of home design solutions for elders to improve their homes and make them safer. Interested in building a ramp? Give your builder these guidelines to make your home senior-ready.

Elder Prescriptions: A Duke Study
People over the age of 65 make up 15 percent of the U.S. population but consume more than one third of the prescription drugs. This 2004 study from researchers at Duke University explores the prescription patterns of the elderly to see if some of their pills may be endangering their health. It discusses how they conducted research and what they found, which was that 21 percent of the people surveyed filled prescriptions on the Beers list, and 41 percent of the inappropriate prescriptions were for drugs to treat mental illness, such as depression. About one in 20 people got prescriptions for more than one drug from the Beers list.

Seven Senior Safety Suggestions
Senior drivers have driving experience, which is a big advantage when it comes to highway safety. Still, you need to be able to adapt to changes in traffic laws, equipment, skills, and even other vehicles on the road, states this site, created by DMV.org. Tips include avoiding nighttime driving, taking a safe driving course, skipping and avoiding heavy traffic, preparing and checking your car, preparing to share the road, selecting the right instrument panel and avoiding distractions. You can read more about elderly road safety and transportation at SeniorDrivers.Org and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Traveling for Elders: Trip Tips
Taking a trip? There are a few tips for elder travel that will make your adventure much easier to enjoy. Tips for traveling seniors include leaving a detailed itinerary with friends at home including your schedule and contact information for places you are visiting. Trip insurance is a great idea if your trip gets cancelled. Another good tip is to reserve hotel rooms with specially equipped rooms first. Especially for elders, bring an ample supply of your medication in the original containers. Do not use pill cases and bring copies of your prescriptions and if possible, carry a letter from your doctor about your medicines. More tips for traveling seniors are included here, a great checklist to browse before you book your next trip!