Safety Alert: Potential Dangers in Your Home

 

For most, the term “home” invokes feelings of warmth, safety, and security. Most people find it exhaustive to conduct a risk assessment for potential hazards or accidents just after buying or renting a home. Awareness of potential threats is the first step to preventing them, especially for older adults. Awareness is not enough, but it will help you get started.

A statistic shows that millions of adults over the age of 65 are treated in hospital emergency rooms for accidents in their own homes. Independent senior living experts understand the potential risks seniors face at home and the necessary precautions to reduce the risks. This guide will help you identify and mitigate potential dangers in their homes.

1.  Falls

home slip and fall preventionThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that falls are the leading cause of injury amongst adults over 65 years of age. Many of these falls take place at home. Another report by the National Safety Council reports that nearly a third of seniors experience fall-related accidents each year, with 70% happening from home.

Seniors need to take extra safety precautions to take care of physical changes of aging such as balance issues, a decline in vision and hearing, etc.

Precautions Against Falls

  • Wear non-slip footwear
  • Ensure the floor and staircases are well-lit and clear off the clutter
  • Use non-slip rubber mats in your bathroom to prevent slips after a shower
  • Regular exercise to maintain balance, coordination, and fitness
  • Keep the kitchen and bathroom floors dry at all times to avoid slips
  • Install staircase and bathroom grab bars
  • Clear your outdoor space as soon as you can after it snows

2.  Fires and Burns

The top cause for home fires and burns is cooking fires. Heating equipment is also the leading cause of home fire deaths. Seniors are more vulnerable to house fires than young people. They have difficulty detecting it when it happens due to continuous sensory impairments as they age. Various medications can also affect their ability to detect fires and mobility issues which can be dangerous if a fire ever occurs.

Precautions Against Fires and Burns

  • Put up smoke detectors in your home and ensure the batteries still work at least once a month
  • Have fire extinguishers near most sources of heat like the kitchen and fireplace
  • Don’t leave candles unattended or use flameless candles
  • Avoid wearing loose clothing while cooking
  • Look out for frayed cords and appliances

3.  Choking and Suffocation

Choking involves obstruction of the upper airway and back throat by food or other objects, which prevents a person from breathing effectively. Partial blocking causes one to cough while making noises, but in the case of a total blockage, the casualty cannot make any sound.

Choking is common amongst seniors with advanced conditions. As people age, it gets more difficult for them to chew and swallow food. Most seniors have fewer teeth to chew, and they have a terrible denture, thus causing these difficulties.

Precautions Against Choking and Suffocation

  • Learn to eat slowly
  • Avoid dry foods
  • Don’t eat while lying down
  • Don’t drink fluids while eating
  • Don’t talk while eating

4.  Poisoning

Poisoning affects people of all ages. More so, food safety isn’t standard in most homes, and food-borne illnesses are real. Poisoning is the second leading cause of fatalities in the US, with 5,000 reported deaths each year. Do your due diligence to prevent accidental poisoning in your home.

Precautions Against Poisoning

  • Don’t store household cleaners in unlabeled drinking bottles or food bottles, as this can be confusing
  • Don’t heat your home with a stove or oven
  • Avoid mixing up cleaning products like ammonia which can produce poisonous fumes
  • Keep medicines organized and well labeled in their original packs
  • Avoid contaminating food by keeping raw meat or fish away from veggies
  • Ensure food is well cooked and kept at safe temperatures
  • Install a working carbon monoxide detector, especially near the bedroom, to alert you when its levels are dangerously high
  • Turn off gas stoves before leaving the kitchen

5.  Security Threats

An,Emergency,ButtonAlarm systems are perhaps the most useful tool one can use when there are potential security threats. These could range from:

  • Sudden health problems like seizures or chest pains
  • Potential Intruders
  • Loss of power
  • Fires or floods

In these situations, an alarm system would come in handy for a senior to get help when they need it. Alarms save lives and help seniors live independently and keep their minds at peace, together with their loved ones.

Other Security Plans

  • Have an emergency escape route
  • Have an emergency contact number
  • Never let strangers into your home, especially when by yourself
  • Discuss common fraud tactics that mostly happen over the phone that target the elderly
  • Share house codes and keys with people whom you trust
  • Consider having motion detector lights and cameras and porch cameras

There are important things to take care of when it comes to home safety, and this guide helps address the common hazards. Therefore, it is essential to prepare your home to meet the needs of aging residents to reduce the risks and keep them safe, relaxed, and happy. That means less worry for both of you in the long term.

 

DIY – Easy Tips to Help Keep your Home a Little Safer

Home security can be the deciding factor in whether or not your home turf might be broken into by burglars. According to a recent Household Burglary report released by the U.S. Department of Justice, there were 2,845,500 completed burglaries in 2011. Of those completed burglaries only 44% of the break-ins were to homes that required the burglar to force his way into the home. These statistics suggest that you do have an effect on how likely an intruder will successfully enters your home. That being said, there are numerous methods to retrofit your, potentially safety deficient, home into a well-armed stronghold. Below we touch on some of the best practices to mitigate potential burglars who are looking for a quick and easy score.

Windows Part 1: Locks
Windows might be a weak link in your home’s security. Some burglars force their way into the home by lifting the window off the frame. You can prevent burglars from breaking into the house through your window by installing a window stop or by installing window locks. There are various types of locks that you can choose for your windows.

  • The most reliable lock design is the key sash lock. This lock is mounted to the edge of the window and prevents anyone from opening the window until the key is used. You should not use this type of lock in occupied bedrooms because a missing key can trap the occupant in the room during an emergency.
  • Hinged wedge locks are installed into the window stile. The lock will only allow the window to open as far as the lock was installed. This design allows the room to receive fresh air. The lock unlocks by pushing the wedge in as you open the window. This makes the lock far safer for occupants of the room.

Windows Part 2: Safety Window Tint
Many burglars break into locked windows by breaking the glass. You can increase the security of your window by applying window tint to the windows of your home. Window tint is a blend of metalized coatings and polyester. Safety grade window tint will hold the glass within the window frame after someone or something has attempted to shatter it. This makes it more difficult for an intruder to enter your home.

Doors Part 1: Install Steel Doors
If you have wood or plastic front, back, and garage doors, you may have a security problem. It is easy for even inexperienced thieves to bypass a wood or plastic door with brute force. If you want to improve the security of your home, you might want to install a steel door.

Doors Part 2: Improve Sliding Doors
Like wood or plastic doors, sliding doors are vulnerable to intruders. Some thieves break into homes by popping the sliding door out of the frame. With sliding doors you have two options:

  • Replace the sliding door with a regular steel door.
  • Placing a metal poll or a 2×4 in the doors frame to ensure that intruders cannot pop the door out when you are not using the sliding door.

Install a Home Security System
You can improve the security of your home by installing a home security system. Home security systems are controlled from a control panel inside. When the system is on, motion detectors attached to windows and doors send signals to the control panel. When an intruder tries to break into your home an audible alarm will sound.

Homeowners can pay a monthly rate to be on a security network. When an intruder invades the home on a security network, an employee of the security company will call your home to make sure the alarm was not a false alarm. If no one answers, the police will be alerted to the possible disturbance. The police will then go to your home. One potential con is that the police will fine you after too many false alarms.

Revise or Improve Your Habits
Now that we have delved into how to retrofit your home, we must face the reality of our habits. Our habits are one of the more vital aspects of home safety. You can install metal doors, sturdy dead bolts, high tech security systems, and security window film, but those attempts to increase your home’s security will mean nothing if you never lock your doors and windows. By getting into the habit of securing your home, your home might be one of the 549,200 homes that burglaries failed to break into. Remember: spending a few moments securing your home will go a long way.