To stay out of nursing homes, N.L. seniors need help preventing falls at home, says advocate

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 16, 2025 3:59 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

For 66-year-old Charlie Boddie, aging good is simply a mindset.

"Use it oregon suffer it," Boddie says, grinning and tapping his temple. "This is simply a almighty happening up here, betwixt the ears."

But Boddie — who could beryllium recovered clutching a guitar connected Wednesday greeting astatine a packed seniors' jam league successful St. John's — concedes it's not each astir hobbies, passionateness oregon laughter.

Sometimes aging good is besides astir getting escaped of the stairs.

"We person a ramp extracurricular our house," says Marilyn Lythgoe, a chap subordinate of the St. John's Retired Citizen's Association.

"If anybody successful a wheelchair wants to travel to visit, past our location is open. Just arsenic casual to physique a ramp arsenic to physique a acceptable of stairs, right?"

Susan Walsh, the province's seniors' advocate, would accidental the probe is firmly connected Lythgoe's side.

In a caller report, Walsh revealed nearly 3 retired of 4 seniors her bureau surveyed hadn't made immoderate changes to their homes to hole for the future.

Walsh told reporters Wednesday there's a nonstop nexus betwixt falls and needing to participate semipermanent care, but galore seniors accidental they can't spend to marque modifications to their homes, don't cognize who to hire, oregon simply person nary thought wherever to start.

"We cognize that seniors privation to property astatine home. Eighty-four per cent reported this successful our consultations," she said.

Walsh is recommending the Newfoundland and Labrador authorities motorboat a how-to usher and consciousness run truthful radical tin commencement to program preventative measures successful their ain surviving spaces — what Walsh frames arsenic the champion mode to guarantee they tin property astatine home.

Walsh is besides recommending authorities statesman an interest-free indebtedness programme for location modifications, and says the state should wage for tiny assistive devices, similar manus railings for showers, arsenic portion of its medicine cause coverage.

Long-term attraction homes successful Newfoundland and Labrador are already bursting astatine the seams, she added, and won't beryllium capable to grip an influx of residents 10 oregon 15 years from now.

While her recommendations aren't binding, Walsh is urging authorities to enactment now.

"I tin honestly archer you they person a precise tiny window. They person astir 5 years earlier we're going to spot important request coming for much organization care," she said. 

"And you tin either get up of it oregon you tin beryllium down it."

WATCH | Susan Walsh says predicting wellness diminution is cardinal to helping radical property well:

Lythgoe is already up of it. She and her hubby are active, steadfast and social, but person besides purposefully ensured their location volition beryllium livable for years to come.

"I've watched radical my property … who person tons of stairs successful their home. And erstwhile thing happens similar an mishap oregon an wounded oregon idiosyncratic loses a leg, you know, they person to merchantability everything disconnected precise quickly, oftentimes suffer everything due to the fact that they person stairs successful their home," Lythgoe said.

"I deliberation we're acceptable for aging successful our ain place. And hopefully some of america volition support our wellness good capable to beryllium capable to bash that."

Elaine Aylward, a manager with the retirees' association, agrees. She planned implicit a decennary agone to unrecorded successful her ain location until the time she dies.

"We conscionable built a location astir 14 years ago, and it's wholly accessible," Aylward, 69, said.

 "When I walked successful the door, I said, 'the adjacent measurement for maine is Caul's.'"

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