For many seniors, simple tweaks to their home environment could be the difference between living independently and moving into an aged care facility.
But it seems that millions of older Americans lack basic equipment.
The decision about whether to move yourself or a loved one into a nursing home might have become even tougher over the past year.
"With the pandemic hitting and with all of the deaths happening in the nursing homes, there’s going to be a lot less motivation to put people into nursing homes," said Dr. Kenneth Lam, UCSF geriatrician.
Dr. Lam told KCBS Radio's "As Prescribed" that for many seniors, simple grab bars in the bathroom or raised toilet seats could vastly improve safety - and help keep people at home for longer. "You’ve got this $30, $50 equipment, at the very least there are people who probably need that," he said.
But a UCSF study found 42% of seniors who need them do not have those devices at home, something for doctors and families to consider when making a decision about whether to move.
"Anytime doing your regular activities becomes difficult, that's the signal of a process - usually it’s actually a disease that’s very difficult to identify or maybe several diseases all at once - but that’s the beginning of the process where you need to start thinking, well how can we be modifying the environment," Dr. Lam added.
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