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Health & Fitness

Senior Care: Preventing Fires and Falls

What are some of the ways you can prevent your loved one from a fall or house fire?

You know that your aging parents want to remain in their familiar home, but you are worried about all the things that can go wrong, like the pot boiling over or other kitchen disasters. Even with a caregiver in the home part of the day, you worry. While you may know what can go wrong since you have to watch out for them yourself, you know that sometimes your mother has left a pot holder or cup towel on the stove and it caught fire. She got distracted for a just a minute. So you worry.

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Falls, kitchen dangers, difficulty getting in and out of the tub are a few of the worries that keep you up at night worrying. What if Mom falls after you talk to her in the evening? If she can’t get up, she’ll be on the floor the entire night before you call in the morning or the caregiver arrives. You worry about all sorts of things.

Accident prevention

Sequoia Senior Solutions has produced a new free guide: Senior Care – A Guide to Staying Safe to offer you simple solutions that can help your loved ones age in place by clicking  here.

Cooking accidents are the leading cause of fire related injuries to older Americans. The kitchen is one of the most active and potentially dangerous rooms in the home. Remember that pot boiling over? There are things called pot watchers, ceramic disks that you can put in a pot that will prevent it from boiling over. With these handing little devices, your parent will not have puddles on the floor to slip in or a fall in the frantic rush to get to the stove.

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Related article: New Free Guide: Senior Care - A Guide to Staying Safe in the Kitchen

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Tripping and falling is typically an embarrassing thing to most people, but not life threatening. This isn’t true for 50+ seniors and the elderly. With weaker bones and slower reaction times, falls become actual life-threatening events. Fall prevention in the home is critical to ensure your safety, or the safety of a loved one.

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Related article:  Senior Care - A New Free Guide to Staying Safe: Falls

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Falls are the leading cause of injury to seniors. 75% of falls occur in the home. Over one third of all people over 65 will have a severe fall each year. Out of those over 53% will require some form of medical care with a broken hip the most common and debilitating result from a fall. Worse, two thirds of those who fall become 2 to 3 times more prone to do so again. 40% of all nursing home admissions are due to injuries from falls. 

What are some of the things you can do so you worry less?

Fires:

  • Most kitchen fires occur because food is left unattended on the stove or in the oven. If you must leave the kitchen while cooking, take a spoon or potholder with you to remind you to return to the kitchen. Never cook with loose, dangling sleeves that can ignite easily. Heat cooking oils gradually and use extra caution when deep-frying. If a fire breaks out in a pan, put a lid on the pan. Never throw water on a grease fire.
  • Some appliances have an automatic shut-off feature. The switch turns the appliance off if it’s been idle for a certain number of minutes. Look for kettles, toaster ovens, irons, and electric frying pans with this fire-prevention feature.
  • Pot stabilizers utilize a wire frame the keeps the pot from spinning while you’re stirring. This device holds the pot handle in place, preventing the cook from knocking the pot off the stove.

Falls:

  • Grab bars provide additional support for getting in and out of bathtubs, or for raising and lowering the body once in the water. Place institutional-grade stainless steel bars all around the tub: a vertical U-shaped bar above the faucet assists in entering and exiting the tub, while a horizontal bar at the foot end and on the back wall allow the bather to safely get in and out of a seated position. Towel bars should never be used as support bars.
  • Clutter: Work to keep things off floors by creating specific places for things often left on the floor like shoes.
  • Trip Hazards: Cover exposed electrical or phone/internet cables with rugs or secure them to the wall.
  • Slipper socks- Slipper sock and other products to help seniors safely navigate their home during the night can be very important for safety. Slipper socks offer traction, which can help reduce the risk of falling.

Making over their home can make sure it is a safe and welcoming place for your elderly loved one. These tips can help you make their home as safe as it can be to prevent accidents and serious injuries. And don’t forget to get your new free guide: Senior Care – A Guide to Staying Safe by clicking here.

 

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