Safe Home for Seniors Program
Falls are one of the leading causes of injury and mortality for seniors. A simple trip or fall can lead to a head injury or broken leg, hip or arm. And because many seniors live alone with few visitors, they can lay on the floor for hours or days at a time, turning a minor injury into something far more serious or even fatal.
The Safe Home for Seniors Program makes it less likely seniors will take a fall by taking preventive steps to reduce accidents and increase independence.
Services provided at no cost to economically disadvantaged seniors:
- Fixing or replacing leaky and corroded faucets and pipes
- Replacement of doors that are no longer safe
- Replacement of re-glazing of broken windows
- Cleaning out and organizing storage spaces to make them easier to use
- Replacement of rotted or moldy kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities
- Deck & porch repair
- Installing night lights
- Providing bedside lamps with touch on/off operation
- Taping down rugs to prevent buckling and tripping
- Providing non-slip mats for bath and kitchen
- Clearing clutter and moving phone and electronics cords out of pathway areas
- Installing safety lights, locks, railing, grab bars and smoke detectors
- Repair of steps, doors and floors
- Basic weatherization
- Provide medication assessment, review and resolution to seniors at risk of falls due to medication concerns.
- Polypharmacy is the concurrent use of multiple medications by a patient, most common in the elderly. Over 76% of seniors take two or more prescriptions on a regular basis. Polypharmacy been suggested to increase the risk for fall in several ways; increased risk for inappropriate medications (i.e. fall risk inducing drugs), increased risk of side-effects and interactions between medications, and also that compiance to prescription might decrease with increased number of prescribed medications.