How to Help Your Parents Age Safely at Home
Posted by Andrew Flannery on 6th Jan 2026
Supporting your family members as they age begins with making sure their home remains a safe, comfortable, and easy to navigate space. Aging in place can introduce unexpected challenges with balance, visibility, and everyday tasks. Harbor City Supply offers modern solutions to address these concerns that blend seamlessly into the home and support independence with confidence.
How can I make my parents' bathroom safer?
Bathrooms are common places to encounter wet floors and limited support, which can make daily routines challenging for an older relative. Simple hardware additions can create a safer environment and help reduce the risk of falls or injury.
Grab Bars
Areas like showers and toilets often require extra stability, especially when sitting, standing, or moving on wet surfaces. Grab bars provide a steady and reliable handhold that helps aging relatives stabilize themselves in these high-risk areas. By adding support at key points, grab bars reduce the likelihood of falls and give your elderly family members more confidence and independence during everyday routines.
Grab bars are available in a variety of shapes and configurations to suit any space. Shop multiple finish options like peened stainless steel or soft polyamide textures that makes the bar easier to hold onto with wet hands or reduced dexterity.
Some common grab bar shapes include:
Custom grab bars are available to order for bathrooms with unique layouts or specific support needs. Send us your drawings and we'll help you make a personalized configuration to achieve the safest and most functional placement. This ensures each bar is positioned exactly where stability is needed most to create a tailored solution for any home environment. Learn more about custom grab bars on our blog found here.
Already have an idea for a custom grab bar? Click here to get a quote!
Shower Seats
Shower seats provide reliable support for senior family members who may have difficulty standing for long periods or maintaining balance while on wet surfaces. Available in both installed and mobile options, these seats offer a safe place to sit while showering to help reduce fall risk and make daily routines more comfortable and accessible. Freestanding and wall mounted models provide sturdy, dependable stability, while mobile options offer added flexibility and can be moved or adjusted to suit different bathroom layouts and individual needs.
For a more elevated look premium shower seats are available in the HEWI's 900 Series and Seachrome's Teak line. These options combine style with lasting durability for seating that blends seamlessly into the bathroom without feeling clinical.
What about around the rest of the house?
Improving safety throughout the rest of the home often comes down to making everyday tasks easier and more accessible. Simple updates like easy to reach power solutions and added lighting can help an older parent navigate their surroundings more effectively and safely.
Easy Access Power Units
As modern life relies on more devices than ever, access to power outlets and USB ports becomes increasingly important at home. Dekko offers simple power solutions that reduce the need to bend down or reach under furniture, helping aging relatives use everyday technology more comfortably and safely. Dekko products are available in a variety of configurations, including clamp mount, under desk, built in, and freestanding options, making them easy to integrate into any space.
LED Lighting
Proper lighting plays a key role in helping older loved ones move safely through the home, especially in areas that are difficult to see or used at night. Loox5 lighting systems are designed for easy installation and can be added to cabinets, closets, hallways, and other low-light spaces to improve visibility. Motion controlled options automatically illuminate areas when movement is detected, making nighttime navigation safer and helping reduce the risk of trips and falls.
Supportive home products for aging in place:
