Nearly 2.2 million Canadian seniors aged 65 and older visit the emergency room each year. Falls are the leading cause of injury hospitalizations for seniors across Canada, contributing to nine per cent of all emergency department visits by seniors.
Many are sustained in the place seniors are meant to feel the safest—their home. In fact, 71 per cent of senior homes have at least one potential safety issue, according to adult children of seniors surveyed by Home Instead, Inc., franchisor of the Home Instead Senior Care® network.
However, more than half of all home accidents by seniors (53 per cent) can be avoided according to a recent survey of emergency room doctors.**
These preventable home hazards, such as throw rugs or loose railings, can be particularly harmful, leading to falls and injuries that can impact seniors’ ability to live independently. However, the majority of seniors (81 per cent) haven’t taken any steps to prepare their homes for their changing needs as they grow older.
“The home should be the safest and most comfortable place for aging seniors,” says Don Henke of the Home Instead Senior Care franchise office serving Kelowna. “It is critical for families and seniors to invest the time in identifying and making the necessary home safety modifications to ensure it stays that way.”
Senior home safety experts recommend that adult children of seniors take at least one day each year to perform a thorough safety check of their parents’ home. To help families accomplish this goal and help seniors reduce the risk of injury in their own homes, the Home Instead Senior Care office serving Kelowna is offering a free home safety checklist, an online safety assessment and recommendations for inexpensive modifications that could ensure the safety of older loved ones as part of the organization’s Making Home Safer for SeniorsSM program.
“An annual safety check can help seniors avoid dangers that could threaten their independence,” said Henke. “Using these free checklists and online tools can help families see those red flags they wouldn’t otherwise notice. And typically, these are relatively easy and affordable fixes—and they could be the difference between a trip to the emergency room and staying safe at home.”
These free safety checks and support resources are part of Home Instead Inc.’s broader Making Home Safer for SeniorsSM program. To request a free home safety check or the home safety checklist, please call the local Home Instead Senior Care office at 250-860-4113 or visit http://www.makinghomesaferforseniors.ca/.
###**Survey MethodologyHome Instead, Inc., franchisor of the Home Instead Senior Care® network, completed 600 telephone interviews in the U.S. (400 in Canada) with seniors age 65 and older, and 600 telephone interviews in the U.S. (400 in Canada) with adult children who have parents age 65 or older. Home Instead, Inc., also conducted five-minute telephone interviews with 100 emergency room physicians in the U.S. and Canada, excluding Quebec.
About Home Instead Senior Care
Founded in 1994 in Omaha, Nebraska, by Lori and Paul Hogan, the Home Instead Senior Care® network provides personalized care, support and education to help enhance the lives of aging adults and their families.
Today, this network is the world’s leading provider of non-medical in-home care services for seniors, with more than 1,000 independently owned and operated franchises that are estimated to annually provide more than 50 million hours of care throughout the United States and 17 other countries. Local Home Instead Senior Care offices employ approximately 65,000 CAREGiversSM worldwide who provide basic support services that enable seniors to live safely and comfortably in their own homes for as long as possible.
The Home Instead Senior Care network strives to partner with each client and his or her family members to help meet that individual’s needs. Services span the care continuum from providing companionship and personal care to specialized Alzheimer’s care and hospice support. Also available are family caregiver education and support resources.
At Home Instead Senior Care, it’s relationship before task, while striving to provide superior quality service.
