Most of what makes an aging parent’s home dangerous isn’t the stairs, it’s a handful of ordinary objects sitting in the wrong places, and almost none of them need to be thrown away.
Written by a retired occupational therapist with twelve years of in-home experience, this workbook gives you the room-by-room system, the worksheets, and the words to use with a parent who doesn’t want anything touched.
Inside the workbook, readers will find:
- The three-pass walk-through — the night path, the handhold map, and the shin-height scan, so you find the real hazards in thirty minutes instead of guessing
- A two-page hazard log to fill in as you walk, and what to write in the “action” column
- The four-way sort — keep out, bin it, rehome, let go, and why the labeled bin is the method, not a stalling tactic
- Three tests that settle arguments before they start: the 20-20 test, the one-hand test, and one in, one out
- Eight rooms, one at a time — entry and hallway, living room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, stairs, basement and garage, and the path outside, each with a checklist, a clinician’s note, and the thing that most often goes wrong in that room
- What to say, and what not to — the four reasons parents refuse, and the reframe that works better than any of the arguments
- A section written directly to your parent, in her hands, with worksheets for choosing her shelf, recording who each piece came from, and deciding who should have what
- How the method changes when memory changes are part of the picture
- Keeping it clear — the seasonal reset, the holiday rotation, a fourteen-day tracker, and the gift conversation to have with your siblings before December
- When it’s more than clutter — how to tell, how to describe it to a physician in words that get a referral, and the four questions to ask at the appointment
- A tear-out card with the whole workbook on one page, for the visits when you don’t have the book
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Important Disclaimer:
Educational use only. Clearing the Path is general home-safety information written by a retired occupational therapist. It is not medical, therapeutic, or legal advice, it cannot assess your parent or their home, and it is not a substitute for a professional evaluation. Decisions about mobility aids, grab bar placement, medications, or a change in living situation belong with your parent’s physician or treating therapist; legal and financial decisions belong with an elder law attorney. In an emergency, call 911.
