Social & Community

Staying Safe At Home

Did you hear about the man who found out that 90 percent of all automobile accidents occur within five miles of home?

So, he moved.

Jokes aside, it’s an established fact that being at home doesn't automatically translate to being safe. And, home sweet home becomes even more risky as we age. Take the danger of falling, for instance: one third of people age 65 or over suffer at least one fall a year, the vast majority in their homes—and fewer than 10 percent of those falls happen during especially risky behavior such as climbing a ladder or standing on a chair.

One reason we’re more vulnerable at home is that we tend to let down our guard in familiar surroundings, putting our mind on autopilot as we go through the day. Fortunately, there’s a simple checklist that can greatly reduce your risk of being injured at home:

• Lighting. This one is first on the list because, while it might not be obvious at first glance, poor lighting is a contributing factor to many mishaps. Aging eyes need more light to work comfortably (that 100-watt bulb you used at age 40 needs to be 200 watts at age 60 and 300 watts at age 80 to get the same results) and also adjust more slowly to low light conditions—taking roughly three times longer at age 70 than at age 25.
  
  In general, the “black holes” that need to be addressed in most homes include storage closets and sheds, hallways, stairways, the garage, and any room with a sudden change of walking height, such as a sunken or raised area. For outdoor use, consider motion-detecting floodlights. Not only do they make you safer between your car and your doorway, they help discourage intruders.
• Hazards underfoot. Most falls are caused by missteps on stairs, loss of balance, or tripping over doormats, carpet runners, loose rugs, or extension cords. Look carefully throughout your house for these perils, and consider adding or augmenting stair railings to provide a better hold. Likewise, consider moving lightweight chairs or small tables that are adjacent to heavily traveled areas, so they won’t contribute to a fall if you grab one for support and it gives way.
• Bathrooms and kitchens. These rooms have something in common: frequent water or soap spills that can cause you to lose your footing, especially at night. Clean up any mess as soon as it’s made, and use extra caution when walking across either of these rooms. Bathtubs are tricky even for people who don’t have mobility problems because of aging; a grab bar, safety railing, and adhesive mats are money well spent in preventing accidents.
• Electrical hazards. Extension cords and overloaded outlets are frequent causes of fire or electrical shock. Try to minimize your use of extension cords; if you must use one, be sure it’s made of a heavier grade wire to carry the necessary wattage. If a switch or outlet is warm to the touch, call a professional electrician.
• Burn hazards. More than half of fire deaths involving mattresses, bedding, or clothing happen to people who are over 65. Protect yourself by using extra care around space heaters, cooking appliances, and hot water faucets. If you smoke, be aware of how easy it is to fall asleep while smoking. Aging not only slows your reaction time, it diminishes your ability to see or smell a smoldering fire in time to prevent a blaze. Install at least one smoke detector on each floor of your home, with extra units near bedrooms. Check their operation in spring and fall, and replace batteries annually. Make sure you have an accessible fire extinguisher on each level of your house.
• Breathing safety. The hazard of suffocation is more insidious than fires, because it can affect your alertness before you have time to react. Double-check gas ranges or ovens to be sure you’ve shut them off after use, and don’t use them for heating a room. Wood-burning stoves or fireplaces, if not properly vented, can create deadly carbon monoxide. So can an automobile, if you leave it running in an attached garage to warm up on a winter day. Hardware stores carry a range of affordable carbon-monoxide detectors; consider one for each floor of your house, and others for areas where natural gas is burned.

A little time and money for prevention efforts can pay dividends for your personal well-being. You deserve it.