Elder care and helping your loved ones age in place… An Inspector’s Perspective
Context is Everything
One of the primary points of guidance for home inspectors specifically, is … “stay in your lane”. This means, do not make assertions, recommendations or estimates that do not reflect your area of expertise. In our litigious society, this can easily create risk for the inspector, but more importantly, this may actually poorly serve the client. For example, since I am not an expert in foundation repair, should I be offering my opinion on how to best fix a failing foundation that I identified (during a home inspection). No. I should refer the owner to an expert or someone who can actually give an accurate estimate to correct the deficiency.
However, I do not buy into the approach (perhaps the other extreme) that some inspectors lean towards… i.e., apply very little common sense to a given situation and repeat the mantra to the homeowner… “consult a qualified contractor”, especially when the “fix” may be very simple.
Actually, this is a valid recommendation which I use regularly, but I also have a passion for helping others to live safely. This is the reason that I created an inspection service called Elder Occupant Safety Check (EOSC). My passion is to “have eyes” to see risks and common-sense improvements in the senior living quarters that others may not see. Or perhaps I can simply think-outside-the-traditional-box others are not accustomed to operating within. I have some personal experience in assisting aging loved-ones as well.
There is common sense and there is deeply informed planning
Common sense tells us that as mom, dad, aunts & uncles, or our neighbors age (or they acquire a handicapped condition), they encounter dozens of issues that can become real challenges. No one should be surprised that this is the case. Plan ahead! These are the type that … only a few short years ago were not even a consideration. For example, tripping on a rug or carpeting that is too thick. This was not an issue last year when dad walked normally, but now that he drags his feet just a bit, it is. What if that rug is near the top of the stairs? Keep in mind that it is often not the tripping or slipping that is so risky, rather it’s the contact of dad’s head or wrists with the hard countertop, tile floor or sidewalk, that causes serious (or even life threatening) injury.
I advocate for a balanced approach because this area of concern can easily slide into Worst Case Scenario Fear Mongering (WCSFM), which is wrong and tees-up taking advantage of elders. However, a bit of informed thinking goes a long way for the person who wants to help a loved one safely age-in-place until that time they need full time care.
The List
The following list is intended to merely prompt your thinking. I encourage you to review this slowly … deliberately… with your loved one(s) at an intentional meeting. (They may not know your intention, but if you have to, get on an airplane and conduct your fact-finding mission; it is well worth it).
Finally, being sensitive towards my own loved ones and my own personal and family experiences has caused me to give much deference to my elders. My wife and I leaned towards yielding as much autonomy to them… as much they wanted for themselves to age-in-place; however, all individuals need help at some point, even if it is realizing the truth of the various risks around them. (Most of us could tell stories… my mother-in-law enjoyed receiving the newspaper her whole life but having to retrieve it each morning in her seventies–during the winter, was dangerous during inclement weather as she navigated the slippery (ice-covered) steps down to the sidewalk!) Many of these mundane vulnerabilities are simply not on your or their radar screen. So, whether you call North Star Home Inspections or someone else to help you think through this list… definitely inspect the entire living quarters and daily routine. Tackle it head-on with a realistic passion. Your loved ones deserve this and you’ll sleep better knowing they’re as safe as they can reasonably be.
| Elder Occupant Safety Check (EOSC) – Aging-In-Place Questionnaire | |
| Category | QUESTIONS |
| Activities | Is there a shed or tool area in the yard? |
| Activities | Does he or she use power tools? Are outdoor receptacles GFCI? |
| Activities | Is there a fireplace or fuel burning appliance? |
| Activities | Trips to Emergency Dept. or hospital/clinic recently? |
| Activities | Food preparation with knives, kit. Appliances, etc. |
| Activities | Do they answer their own phone? |
| Activities | Who gets their mail and pays their bills? (puts things in their mailbox?) |
| Activities | How Do they interact with friends (at McDonalds, on the sidewalk?, over a fence?) |
| Activities | Hobbies (gardening, wood carving? Etc.) |
| Activities | Who does the vacuuming and cleaning? |
| Activities | Do they have an exercise area or equipment and do they use it? |
| Activities | Do they use a smartphone and how many chargers are there for this? |
| Activities | who takes them to DR. appointments, groceries, retail shopping, etc.? |
| Activities | Meal preparation? |
| Activities | Who would prune their bushes? Manually or electric hedge trimmers? |
| Activities | Who regularly changes their HVAC filter? |
| Activities | Who cleans their gutters? |
| Body | Any known handicap issues? |
| Body | Do they have any issues WRT stretching, reaching, using step-ladders, stools, etc. |
| Body | Are they left-handed, right-handed or ambidextrous |
| Body | Any vision impairment? Do they wear glasses? |
| Body | Any hand or foot dexterity issues |
| Environment | any grab-bars or ancillary handrails now? |
| Environment | Is there a patio, deck or porch? Height off ground? Railings in place? |
| Environment | Holes in the roof, house wall or windows (anywhere?) |
| Environment | Is there carpet, rugs that cause tripping? |
| Environment | Is there a workshop, craft area or workbench? |
| Environment | Is anything in the living quarters loose or broken? |
| Environment | Are there dim areas of the home, that need more lighting? |
| Environment | Is there a land line? How many extensions? Cordless Phones? |
| Environment | Any known roof leaks? Does the basement flood? Plumbing back-ups? |
| Environment | Does the kitchen have a fire extinguisher or fire-blanket? |
| Environment | Any electrical outlets that are shorting or sparking? |
| Environment | Are there GFCI receptacles in the kitchen counter area? |
| Environment | Any open flames in the home for a gas stove, candles or a minora/alter? |
| Environment | Does anyone in the home smoke cigarettes, cigars, pipes, etc. |
| Environment | Does she use a space heater in the winter? |
| Environment | Are there any toxic chemicals or mold in the home? Last inspection date? |
| Environment | Do any faucets drip or leak? |
| Environment | Does he/she keep any firearms in the home? In a gun safe or drawer? |
| Environment | Is she/he a hoarder and slowly creating a worse living situation? |
| Environment | Are there stairs to the attic (permanent or pull-down)? Are they safe to use? |
| Environment | Which shelf in the home makes them stretch? |
| Environment | Do all the locks work as they should? Are more needed? |
| Life Mgmt. | What is their greatest source of frustration in life? |
| Life Mgmt. | Who is managing their investments and money/credit cards/cash? |
| Life Mgmt. | Does she have a will? |
| Life Mgmt. | Where are her vital documents stored? |
| Life Mgmt. | Is there a safe and who has (remembers) the combination? |
| Life Mgmt. | Does he use a computer and how are passwords managed? |
| Life Mgmt. | Do they receive a newspaper and who retrieves it during the winter or during the rain? |
| Life Mgmt. | Who manages contractors, visitors, service technicians, etc. when they visit him/her? |
| Life Mgmt. | Who actually owns their home? i.e. responsible for maintenance? |
| Mobility | do They still drive or take public transportation? |
| Mobility | Do they go on walks? Where? Does this route have hills, stairs, crossings, etc.? |
| Mobility | Do they get their own paper from the sidewalk or driveway apron? |
| Mobility | Does he/she use a cane or walker? |
| Mobility | Fall Risk? Dizziness or light-headedness? |
| Mobility | Do they ride a bicycle or scooter? |
| Mobility | Does he/she have a neck-wearable alarm button? |
| Social | Do they have a pet or manage others (i.e., grandkids)? |
| Social | Relationship with neighbors? Who else knows them? Are they trustworthy? |
| Social | Who regularly checks on them, when, and how (in-person, calls, etc.)? |
| Social | Social Safety – who has unhindered access to her or him? |
| Social | Who lives with him/her? |
| Social | Any pests in the home (ants, roaches, silver fish, mice, rats (outside), snakes, spiders)? |
| Toileting | Does he/she shower themselves? |
| Toileting | Any climbing in/out of shower/tub, etc. Should a tub-cut be made? |
