Home and Safety Tips for the Elderly
By Saghir Aslam
Rawalpindi, Pakistan
(The following information is provided solely to educate the Muslim community about investing and financial planning. It is hoped that the Ummah will benefit from this effort through greater financial empowerment, enabling the community to live in security and dignity and fulfill their religious and moral obligations towards charitable activities)
As the number of elderly people is increasing it is becoming highly important to ensure their safety at within and outside the home. Burns, falls, and other accidents involving the elderly have become common these days. According to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fall-related medical expenses cost Americans more than $30 billion each year. The CDC estimates that these expenses are projected to increase to more than $67 billion over the next 20 years. One-third of senior citizens aged 65 or older –or nearly 12 million people –experience falls each year, and almost 5000 die from falls in the home.
The Home Safety Council study finds that while falls are the leading cause of home injury-related death among older adults, measures that can prevent critical falls are missing from many homes. Many caregivers of older adults cite a lack of knowledge and understanding of what actions to take in making home safer in order to prevent older adults from falling.
The Home Safety Council suggests that all caregivers conduct a home safety walk-through to identify and fix potential hazards. Below is a list of home safety tips that should be considered when conducting a home safety walk-through:
• All the stairs and steps should be protected with a secure banister or hand-rail on each side that extends the full length of the stairs. Porches, balconies, and terraces should be properly protected.
• Hallways, stairwells, and porches should be well lit. Stairwells should have a bright light at the top and bottom. Light switches should also be located at the top and bottom of the stairs and at both ends of long hallways.
• Nightlights should be used to help light hallways, bathrooms and stairwells. Keep a lamp or flashlight within reach of the bed.
• Stairs, steps and all passageways should be free of clutter. Telephone and electrical cords should be kept out of walkways. Furniture should be arranged so there is plenty of room to walk freely.
• The bathtub or shower should have a nonslip mat or strips on the standing area. Grab bars should be installed around the shower, bathtub and toilet. These grab bars should be sturdy enough to support a person’s body weight.
• Make the elderly person wear a special alarm that can be worn as a bracelet or necklace. If they fall and are unable to reach the phone they can simply push the alarm button to avail emergency services.
• Provide them with a cane or walker so that they don’t have to use walls or furniture as a support to stand up or walk.
• Make them wear rubber slippers or slippers with no-slip bottoms. This will greatly reduce the risk of falling.
• Install a smoke detector and fire alarm in the house and make sure it is always in working order.
• Set the thermostat of the water heater at 120 °F or lower to prevent accidental scalding.
• All floors should be kept clean and dry. Promptly clean up grease, water or other spills.
• Throw rugs and loose carpet should be removed or secured firmly to the floor.
• A stepladder should be used to reach items on high shelves. A good stepladder has wide threads and easy-to-grab supports.
• Telephones should be located in each room and emergency numbers posted by each one. Installing a cordless is also a good idea.
• Door, drawers, and cabinet knobs should be big, easy-to-grab C-shaped or D-shaped handles. These handles are especially helpful for someone with arthritis.
• Use lamps that can handle 100-200 watt light bulbs. An 85-year-old needs about three times the amount of light 15-year old needs to see the same thing.
• Make sure that all the heaters in the house are placed at least 3-4 feet away from anything that has the potential to burn, like curtains, furniture, and bedding etc.
• Try keeping all the medicines in their original packing so that they don’t get mixed up as it can be a serious issue in emergency conditions.
• Always check the expiry dates of medicines and make sure all the needed medicines are always present in the medical box so that you don’t have to rush to pharmacy in times of emergency.
You should also suggest the older adult consider subscribing to a medical alert or buddy system. Having an easy-to-reach, easy to activate tool gives both the older adult and caregiver greater confidence and security.
(Saghir A. Aslam only explains strategies and formulas that he has been using. He is merely providing information, and NO ADVICE is given. Mr Aslam does not endorse or recommend any broker, brokerage firm, or any investment at all, nor does he suggest that anyone will earn a profit when or if they purchase stocks, bonds or any other investments. All stocks or investment vehicles mentioned are for illustrative purposes only. Mr Aslam is not an attorney, accountant, real estate broker, stockbroker, investment advisor, or certified financial planner. Mr Aslam does not have anything for sale.)
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