Reviewing Your Parent’s Home for Fire Safety during National Safe at Home Week

Home Care in Hampton Bays NY: Reviewing Your Parent’s Home for Fire Safety during National Safe at Home Week

A fire is one of the most frightening and potentially devastating emergencies that your elderly parent can face. Unfortunately, they are not uncommon. There are nearly 360,000 home fires reported each year, accounting for more than 75 percent of all structure fires that occur throughout the United States. These fires result in more than 2,560 deaths, more than 93 percent of the deaths associated with structure fires, as well as nearly 13,000 injuries. AS a family caregiver, these statistics can be startling, but they also illustrate the importance of having an effective fire safety plan in place for your elderly parent.

Use these tips to help ensure that your aging parent’s home is prepared for proper fire safety:

• Check their smoke detectors. Smoke detectors are an absolutely critical element of any fire safety plan. Make sure that your parent’s home is fully equipped with smoke detectors, placing them near sleeping quarters and on every floor of the home. Rather than following the usual recommendation of checking the batteries twice per year, make it a habit of checking them every month to ensure that they are working properly.
• Do not block exits. It is critical that there are at least two accessible exits from the home, one in the front and one in the back. Do not block these exits or make them excessively difficult to use, such as storing keys for locks far away from the door.
• Put alerts on the doors. Post an alert on your parent’s door that announces the presence of an elderly adult and any animals that might be in the house so that any emergency responders will know what to look for and how to help those inside. This is particularly important if your elderly parent struggles with mobility or cognitive issues that might make it difficult for them to get out of the house safely in the event of a fire.
• Establish a meeting spot. One of the first elements of your fire safety plan should be a meeting spot. This is a location at a safe distance from the home where anyone who is in the house when a fire breaks out should meet after escaping. This helps to quickly account for everyone and reduce the chances that people will look for each other during the fire.

If you have been considering how you are able to enhance your parent’s life and ensure that they get everything that they need to remain as healthy, happy, safe, and comfortable as possible as they age in place, now may be the ideal time to start home care for them. An in-home senior care services provider can be with your parent on a customized schedule that ensures that they always have care and support when they need it to help them manage their personal needs, address their challenges and limitations, and keep their lifestyle as active, engaged, and independent as possible. Keeping your senior safe is one of the most important priorities that you have as a family caregiver, and entrusting a home care provider with some of your parent’s care can help you to feel more confident that your parent will be secure in their home.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring home care in Hampton Bays, NY, call the caring staff at Artful Home Care today at 631-685-5001.

http://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/fire

http://www.nfpa.org/news-and-research/fire-statistics-and-reports/fire-statistics/fires-by-property-type/residential/home-structure-fires