Safety for Your Loved Ones!
Senior safety at home is the primary purpose for non-medical home care. We at Picket Fence Home Care are here to help. You just returned from your vacation to the Middle East and are thrilled about giving your mother the hand-woven throw rug you bought her. Your mother agrees it’s beautiful and lays it down in the hallway to see how the colors match. It does not occur to either of you that your grandfather is just getting up from his nap. He steps on the rug, it slips, he hits the floor and breaks his hip. A family gathering has now turned into a trip to the emergency room.
When we care for elderly people, especially those who are suffering from dementia, we must be aware that everyday household objects – an extension cord, a freshly waxed floor, a kitchen knife – can spell trouble. Given the recent proliferation of telemarketing fraud, even an unguarded phone can represent a risk to an overly trusting senior. It is imperative for the elderly and their families to take extra care.
Here Are Some Easy Tips!
Picket Fence Home Care is always ready to advise our clients on how to keep seniors out of harm’s way. Some common-sense ideas include:
- Make sure to remove electric cords and clutter lying around in hallways and other high-traffic areas.
- Seniors should take care when rising out of bed or a chair. Standing up too quickly can cause dizziness, and dizziness can cause falls.
- If your senior is prone to falling, consider fastening rubber tips to sharp table edges.
- Make sure all rails and banisters are securely fastened to allow for safe mobility .
- Ensure that all rooms in the house are well lighted.
- Make sure that bathtubs and showers must be skid-proofed; bath mats must be fixed to floor tiles.
- Consider installing a rail around the toilet basin to make it easier to sit down and get up.
- Install door locks that can be opened from both sides.
- Spoiled food items cause illness so check the refrigerator regularly. Note the expiration dates on perishable food and drinks. When storing food in containers, write the date on an adhesive sticker and attach it to the lid.
- Place medicine dosages in a seven-day dispenser with each day clearly marked, this eliminates mistakes.
- Watch out for scam artists! Fraudulent telemarketers direct as much as 80 percent of their calls to senior citizens, thinking they are “easy prey,” according to studies by the Consumer Law Center. Seniors must know that it is not impolite to hang up on suspicious callers, and that they must never give out their Social Security numbers, credit card information or bank data to anyone over the telephone.