Carillon Lakes Home Safety Tips for Seniors

Carillon Lakes safety tips for seniors

Senior homeowners often find the need to upgrade or renovate their homes to suit their changing needs. These changes may include easy and simple home safety improvements to reduce their risk of accidents and injuries, aside from other upgrades.

 

Here are some easy safety tips and upgrades that can be done to your Carillon Lakes home to make it safer for seniors:

1. Install an emergency call or medical alert system, especially if you are living alone
2. Replace door knobs with levers if you are having a hard time gripping due to a medical condition like arthritis.
3. Make first aid kits and emergency numbers easily accessible.
4. Make sure all doors can open and close easily. Regularly check door hinges and loose screws on doorknobs.
5. Apply caulk or grip tape to the undersides of rugs to make sure they don’t slip.
6. Run cords and electrical wires along the walls and secure them with cable clips under rugs to avoid tripping.
7. Install a surge protector in an easy-to-reach and safe place so the senior homeowner won’t have to stoop or crawl to access the power outlets.
8. Check the sink or bathtub for leaks. Cover the bathroom floor with non-slip mats.
9. Install accessible sinks with the right height so seniors won’t have difficulty bending down.
10. Toilet seats should be at a suitable height so the seniors won’t have difficulty getting up and down.
11. Install handrails near the toilet and shower or bath for stability to make getting in and out easy.
12. Make sure your entire Carillon Lakes home is well-lit. Install night lights and lamps in the bedrooms. Pathways and stairs should also be illuminated.
13. Consider installing voice-activated sensors or hand-held remotes in place of light switches to avoid having to grope blindly along the walls to look for light switches. Motion-activated lights also help provide security as well as help seniors get in and out of their home at night.

These upgrades and added features could be expensive, especially for seniors relying on their pensions. Fortunately, the government has available programs like USDA’s Very Low Income Housing Repair program that offers up to $7,500 in grants and up to $20,000 in 1% interest loans for qualified seniors.

Ask your Lakeland Fl agent to help you check with your specific state for programs in your area that can help you ease the cost of these safety upgrades.

Call me, Petra Norris, at (863) 619-6918 or send me an email at petra@petranorris.com if you’re looking for a Lakeland Florida real estate agent with superior local knowledge, experience, professionalism, integrity, and personal service to help you sell or buy Carillon Lakes homes for sale.

Petra Norris, REALTOR®…

Going The Extra Mile For You!

5 Amazing Benefits of Using Solar Energy for Your Carillon Lakes Home

Get these amazing benefits by using solar energy for your Carillon Lakes home

Global warming is now a growing concern among many nations and is the reason why many homeowners and businesses are now seeking alternative sources of energy like solar energy.

 

Solar panels are starting to be seen with increasing frequency in many residential areas. If you want to use solar energy for your Carillon Lakes home, make sure you are fully educated about solar energy and how to use it in your home.

Benefits of Solar Energy

Solar energy has many benefits for your Carillon Lakes home. These benefits are what attract most homeowners to install solar panels.

1. Solar panels can save you hundreds of dollars in your energy bills.Using solar energy reduces your home’s dependency on the power grid for household use. Although the actual solar panel and its installation may be a bit pricey, you get value for your money because the power it produces is free.
2. Since people with installed solar panels are not dependent on the power grid, they are not affected by power failures and brownouts. Solar panels are great to have especially during emergencies like hurricanes, typhoons, or floods when there is usually power failure in some areas.
3. If you have solar panels, the value of your Carillon Lakes home will increase by a minimum of 20%. This is a great return on investment once you sell your home.
4. You save nature’s non-renewable resources. Solar energy comes from the sun which is a renewable energy source. When you use solar energy, it does not come at the cost of burning fossil fuels, which are non-renewable resources.
5. Reduces your carbon footprint. Greenhouse gas is a major contributor to global warming. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the production of electricity is one of the largest sources of greenhouse emissions. In 2011, the use of electricity contributed almost 33% of the total greenhouse emissions.

When solar panels produce solar energy, it does not emit any greenhouse gases, reducing the users carbon footprint.

It further reduces the emission of greenhouse gases by eliminating the need for trucks to deliver oil, gasoline, or coal.

If you wish to harness the power of solar energy in your Carillon Lakes home to get these amazing benefits, make sure that the installation of your solar panels is done properly by professionals who are certified and trained to install solar panels.

Some homeowners prefer to do it themselves to save on the cost of installation and you may also do this with available DIY solar panel installation kits, but make sure it is done correctly. Take note though that installing solar panels by yourself may affect warranties offered by the manufacturer.

DIY installation may also disqualify the homeowner from receiving benefits like tax credits in states that offer this incentive, since the state requires that the installation be done by an authorized contractor or professional installer for the homeowner to be qualified for a tax credit.

If you want to get all the benefits of solar energy, hiring a professional installation contractor is still the safest option if you wish to install solar panels in your Carillon Lakes home.

Call me, Petra Norris, at (863) 619-6918 or send me an email at petra@petranorris.com if you’re looking for a Lakeland Florida real estate agent with superior local knowledge, experience, professionalism, integrity, and personal service to help you sell or buy Carillon Lakes homes for sale.