Fire Safety Checklist for Your Aging Parent’s Home
Home Care in Ada MI
As a family caregiver you do not want to think about your loved one being at risk of serious injury or property loss. Being honest with yourself about these risks and taking the necessary steps to reduce those risks, however, is essential for you to help your parent stay safer and healthier throughout their later years.
One of the risks that your loved one may face is a house fire. Adults aged 64 and older throughout the United States are at more than twice the risk of suffering a serious injury or death in a residential fire than the rest of the population. Taking steps to reduce the risks in their home is vital to guarding them from potentially dangerous situations and support them in handling such a situation in a better way should it arise.
Follow this fire safety checklist for your aging parent’s home to help them stay safer:
- Ensure their fire detectors work properly and are positioned in all pertinent areas of the home, including near where your parent sleeps
- If your aging parent suffers from hearing loss, make sure that they have adaptive smoke detectors that use bright flashing lights and vibrations in addition to loud alarms to ensure that they are aware of the situation
- Encourage them to sleep on the lowest floor of the house if possible to reduce the time it would take to escape the home if a fire does occur
- Ensure that all windows and doors in your parent’s home are easily accessible and can be opened
- Ensure locks on all windows and doors can be easily opened from the inside
- If your parent needs security bars or cages on their windows, ensure that there is an emergency release mechanism to open them from the inside
Starting home care for your aging parent is a fantastic way to have peace of mind that they are safer when they are in the home on their own. Whether you are a distance caregiver or you simply have many other obligations that keep you from being able to be with your aging loved one as often as you would like to be, if you are not able to be with your senior, you may worry about their safety and security. You know that there are risks when they are at home or when they are out and about, and you want to ensure that they are capable of addressing those risks in the way that is right for them according to their specific needs, challenges, and limitations. This means not just acknowledging what they may be struggling with, but also being able to recognize the best ways to manage those issues as they are facing risks. When it comes to keeping them safe from a fire, a home care provider can keep an eye on their home to ensure that your parent has minimized and continues to minimize their fire risks, give them care that will help prevent potentially dangerous situations and decisions, and practice your emergency plan with them so that they are better able to respond should a fire occur in their home.
If you or someone you know needs help with home care in Ada, MI, contact Gauthier Family Home Care. We provide quality and affordable home care services in our community. Call us at (616) 258-2300 for more information.
Source: http://www.nfpa.org/public-education/by-topic/people-at-risk/older-adults
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