Safety at Home (Elder Care) « Elder Care

Articles, Publications and Resources re:
Safety Issues for Elder Care at Home

Articles and Publications About Elder Care Safety:

• 5 Inexpensive Ways to Elder Proof Your Home (Reuters Money – 2/3/11)
  Planning for your golden years now, before an accident happens, will likely allow for more independence as you age. One-in-three adults aged 65 and older falls every year, making falls the leading cause of injury death among seniors.
• Elderly Mobility Challenges and Falling Out of Bed (Elder Care Blog – 10/4/09)
  Mobility issues in general are misunderstood and lack appropriate solutions to address the problem. One issue is why do people fall out of bed and why is it such a healthcare mystery. You may wonder how beds and bed rails equal a mobility issue until you understand a century old misconception.
• Family Claims Comcast Let Grandma Bleed To Death On Thanksgiving (The Consumerist – 10/28/10)
  What happens when you have phone service through Comcast and you dial 0 for the operator in an emergency? A family in Florida claims that Comcast's negligence killed their grandmother. The elderly woman bled to death next to her phone while waiting for the Comcast operator and emergency services to figure out where she lived.
• Graceful Aging
  Graceful Aging is a television show designed to promote living safe, healthy, and dignified. Each episode focuses on a single topic important to older adults and those concerned. Driving for older adults, home safety, fall prevention, dementia issues, marriage and dating are samples of past shows. Each show is guided towards practical useful information by host and producer Gregory Bator. "Our goal for every show is to enhance and improve an older adult's life. Spouses, family members, and friends often struggle with aging issues. We tackle and unravel those struggles," says Bator.
• High-Tech Devices Keep Elderly Safe From Afar (NY Times – 5-25-08)
  First thing every morning, Lynn Pitet, of Cody, Wyo., checks her computer to see whether her mother, Helen Trost, has gotten out of bed, taken her medication and whether she is moving around inside her house hundreds of miles away in Minnesota. For related article, see "Technologies Help Adult Children Monitor Aging Parents."
• Safe at Home? Developing Effective Criminal Background Checks and Other Screening Policies for Home Care Workers
  AARP’s Public Policy Institute released a report on federal and state approaches to background check screening of home care workers to protect vulnerable adults from harm. (From the link above you can link to the full report and a two-page summary). It includes a 50-state statutory chart.
• Holidays a Time You May Discover Your Aging Parent Needs Help
  Many people visit an aging parent who they haven't seen for several months and begin to notice signs that their parent may need support and assistance.
• Home Safety: How Well Does Your Home Meet Your Needs? (AARP)
  A caregiving checklist.
• When the Meal Won't Go Down (NY Times – 4/21/10)
  When an older person regularly gags or chokes in the middle of a meal, it’s obvious that there’s a problem. But what of the more subtle symptoms of trouble while eating?

Resources About Elder Care Safety:

• Elder Care Safety Issues (101ElderCare.com)
  Many family members feel that a deadbolt on the front door of their parent's home will take care of any elder care safety issues that might harm them. There are other safety issues that family members never stop to consider and those considerations include what their parent's state of mind is, the structural soundness of the building that they are living in, and the quality of the company that they keep.
• Elder Safety (HomeHealthcare Online)
  Elder safety needs to be first and foremost on ones mind when making decisions.  Here are some small considerations that go a long way to improve the quality of life and help increase elder safety.
• Eldercare Safety Issues (Interact@Ease)
  What caregivers need to be concerned about and where to find help.