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The Safe Living Guide
A guide to home safety for seniors |
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Keeping your home safe
Checklists:
Kitchen
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Yes |
No |
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Are your pots and pans, canned goods and staple foods stored in an easy to reach location – between knee and shoulder heights? |
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Are heavy items stored in the lower cupboards and light items in the higher cupboards? |
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Do you have a stable step stool (with a safety rail) for reaching high places? |
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Are the "off" and "on" positions on the stove dials clearly marked? |
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Are your oven mitts within easy reach when cooking? |
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Do you make sure never to cook while wearing loose-fitting clothing or sleepwear? |
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Do you have a fire extinguisher in the kitchen, mounted on the wall away from the stove? |
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Do you regularly check that your fire extinguisher is in good operating order? |
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Use heat-resistant oven mitts rather than potholders; they provide a better grip on hot containers and give you better protection against splatters and steam. If you do experience a burn, immerse in cool water (not ice or butter!).
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Are your oven mitts in a handy location? |
Bedroom
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Yes |
No |
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Is there a light switch near the entrance to your bedroom? |
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Do you have a lamp or a light switch near your bed? |
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Do you keep night lights or other sources of light on in case you get up in the middle of the night? |
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Is there a clear path from your bed to the bathroom? |
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Do you have a phone and a list of emergency phone numbers near your bed? |
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Make sure your bed is not too high or low, so that it is easy to get in and out of it.
You can purchase short bed rails to steady yourself when getting out of bed.
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Is there a clear path from your bed to the bathroom? |
Garage/Basement/Workroom
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Yes |
No |
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Are your workroom and laundry room well lit? |
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Do you have a telephone in the basement and a list of emergency phone numbers? |
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Do you keep floors and benches clean to reduce fire and tripping hazards? |
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Are all your tools and service equipment in good condition? Are the safety locks on? |
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Is your work area well ventilated, summer and winter? |
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Are heavy items on lower shelves or in bottom cupboards? |
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Do you use a ladder or a stable step stool (with a safety rail) for reaching high places? |
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Are all chemicals, such as bleach, cleaners and paint thinners clearly identified? |
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Are flammable materials stored as indicated by the directions on the label and away from sources of heat and flame? |
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If you have a gas barbecue, is your propane tank stored outside of the house? |
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When you use a ladder, never stand or sit on the top three rungs. Maintain your balance by keeping your body centred between the rails, not reaching to the sides and not pushing or pulling on anything.
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Childproofing
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(a must, for doting grandparents) |
Yes |
No |
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Have you removed items from your lower surfaces to prevent breakage, injury and spills? |
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Are all medications and pill boxes stored out of reach? |
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Are your cleaning products and paints out of reach? |
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Have you installed safety catches on your cupboards and medicine cabinet doors? |
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Have you purchased safety gates for stairs or unsafe rooms? |
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Is there a safety latch on your stove and dishwasher? |
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Are extension, telephone and venetian blind cords out of children's way? |
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Are your garage and workshop locked with deadbolts installed high on the doors? |
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If you have a pool, or if there's one in the apartment or condo where you live, exercise extreme vigilance. Make sure the pool is absolutely off-limits to children by installing safety devices on house doors leading to the pool and a very high latch on the pool fence gates. Never leave any child without supervision.
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Eileen's story
When Eileen Shannon was taking care of her ailing mother-in-law, she decided to get grab bars installed in her bathroom. She also acquired a bath seat. She was pretty familiar with safety devices and she knew her mother-in-law needed the support in the bathroom. Now, several years later, Eileen is surprised to find herself using those same grab bars. Although Eileen is fairly healthy, she did have two unexpected bouts of illness. "I thought, I'm 69, I won't need those things. But when you get ill, and you come back from the hospital and you're  weak, you're mighty glad to have that bar on the bathtub wall."
Eileen's house has other safety features she installed and that she finds handy, such as improved lighting, night lights, and lever taps that are easy to turn. As she lives in a large house and her home is the place where everyone gathers for family get-togethers, she has also childproofed the rooms. When she looks ahead to the future, she sees herself remaining in this house safely for a long time to come. |
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