The Millstone Times December 2020

Monroe Township News | As We Age

...continued from page 47 Steps, Stairways, Bathrooms Are a Challenge Often a place of convenience and comfort, the home also poses risks for older adults’ safety and well-being. More than a quarter of all households with an adult age 65 or older reported trouble using some feature of the home. Among households with adults 85 and over, that figure rises to nearly half. Steps and stairways are by far the most common problem areas in the home for older adults. A quarter of older households reported such difficulty. Bathrooms pose considerable risks as well and are the second most common problem area of the home for older adults. More than half of bathroom injuries are directly related to using the shower and getting into or out of the bathtub, according to the CDC. Installing handrails, grab bars and built-in shower seats in the bathroom could help reduce risk for older adults and improve the safety of their home. These data are produced by the U.S. Commerce Department's Census Bureau from a survey sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Jonathan Vespa is a demographer in the U.S. Census Bureau’s Social, Economic, and Housing Statistics Division.

48 The Millstone Times

December 2020