The Bottom Line: Safely Caring for Older Adults

Angela Mickalide, Ph.D. CHES
Director of Education and Outreach, Home Safety Council

Today one in six Americans act as a caregiver for an older adult in their lives, and as our population continues aging, we can only expect that more adults will need assistance in and around their homes. The Home Safety Council® recently worked with Harris Interactive® to conduct a first-of-its kind research study targeting caregivers of adults 60 years old or older and asking how they handle safety with their loved ones. Our findings reveal a lack of effective communication between older adults and their caregivers when discussing critical home safety issues. This is an alarming situation as it may be placing an already high-injury age group at even greater risk.

Each year more than 7,000 older adults in our country die from incidents that occur at home including falls, fires/burns and poisonings, which are almost entirely avoidable with proper education and some simple home modifications. One in two caregivers surveyed reported that their loved one has suffered an injury at home, and more than 60 percent of those injuries were serious – requiring an emergency room visit or hospital stay.

Despite these startling statistics, half of the caregivers surveyed cited that injury prevention is a difficult subject to approach with the person they care for. Also, of the one in two caregivers who admit there are additional actions that could be taken to make the home of the person they were caring for safer, more than 25 percent said that they worry about the reaction of the older adult as a primary reason for not taking these actions.

While many caregivers may hesitate to provide safety advice to parents and loved ones who raised them, it is critical to have meaningful safety discussions and help older adults fix potential home dangers to keep them safe in and around their homes. Basic home safety precautions can keep all family members safe and will ultimately ensure that more older adults will continue to live independently for as long as possible in the homes that they love. The Home Safety Council advises caregivers to apply the same safety practices in their own homes as they would in the home of an older adult. This way, safety improvements are not considered a consequence of aging. The same precautions that can help keep older adults safe in and around their homes can protect the entire family.

The new data shows that most homes are lacking critical safety measures. Consider sharing the following safety precautions with members of your community, and encourage those with older adults in their lives to always approach the issue of safety with compassion and share this critical safety advice with their loved ones.

Falls Prevention:

Key Survey Findings: Nearly 40 percent of caregivers surveyed reported that their loved one had experienced a fall at home. The survey also found that many critical fall prevention precautions are missing from many homes, including handrails on both sides of stairways (62 percent), unsecured throw rugs (64 percent) and shower grab bars (32 percent).

The Home Safety Council has created the Safe Steps program specifically to reduce the risk of falls among older adults. Consider downloading these materials from the Home Safety Council’s web site to use in your community.

Safety Tips:

• Protect stairs and steps with a secure banister or hand-rail on each side that extends the full length of the stairs.
• Keep all stairways, paths and walkways well lit.
• Install grab bars in bath and shower stalls, and use a non-slip mat or adhesive safety strips inside bathtubs and showers.

Home Fire Safety:

Key Survey Findings: While the new HSC survey found that most homes have working smoke alarms (86 percent), only one in three caregivers said their loved ones had a home fire escape plan. Consider using the Home Safety Council’s Be Safe and Sound Brochure to help teach home fire safety in your community.

Safety Tips:

• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home and test them monthly. When possible, choose alarms that use wireless technology or are hard-wired to the electrical system to make them interconnected (when one alarm goes off, they all do). Consider installing a home fire sprinkler system if you build or remodel a home.
• Develop a fire escape plan for your family that identifies two exits out of every room, who will provide assistance to children and others who will need help, and where to meet outside. Practice makes perfect – hold a fire drill at least twice each year with every member of your household.
• Keep your water heater setting at 120 degrees Fahrenheit or less.

Poison Prevention:

Key Survey Findings: Nearly one in 10 caregivers reported that their loved one had experienced a poisoning incident at home, most frequently from taking the wrong type of medication. However, less than half report that important emergency numbers, including the Poison Control Hotline number are posted next to every phone. Also only two in five report having a carbon monoxide detector installed in their home.

Safety Tips:

• Use a medications tracker and always follow medication dosages closely.
• Post emergency numbers next to every phone in your home, including the Poison Control Hotline number (1-800-222-1222).
• Install at least one carbon monoxide (CO) detector near sleeping areas.

For more information on ways to help members of your community stay safe in and around your home, please visit the Home Safety Council’s Safety Guide.