A resident of a nursing home in Boston had been a tailor for years before he got too ill to take care of himself. In Maryland, a man had been a woodworker/sculptor and an artist. In Virginia, a woman had been a gardener. All these people were fortunate to move into facilities that recognized and respected their talents and had the resources to do something about it. So, the tailor was given some space to sew in, the woodworker and his buddies got a woodshop (and supervision), the artist got some painting space and the gardener got a raised flowerbed and some indoor space with great lighting. Preserving independence can be as simple as making safety adjustments and adding supervision, BUT this does not apply to things that are truly dangerous.
Do not wait for the car accident, the house fire, or the fall down the stairs before addressing the safety issue.
