6 May 2009
Australian sons and daughters have been urged to use Mother's Day to do a safety audit of the home for elderly parents, especially those living alone.
 David Hallett |
Archicentre,
the building advisory service of the Australian Institute of Architects
said home safety was one of the most important gifts sons and daughters
could give their mums. David Hallett, General Manager of Archicentre said elderly people often do not recognise dangers in the home which can lead to serious injuries or fatal incidents. The top areas listed for home safety include: * Install new batteries in the smoke detector and test the alarm is working efficiently * Ensure all deadlocks have keys in them on the inside of the door. |
* Check for unsafe steps
or decks which may need repair or the removal of slippery moss or slime.
* Look for leaking taps or damaged downpipes that could make paths slippery.
* Loose electrical extension leads across the floor creating a trip hazard
* Loose rugs which may cause slip and trips especially at the tops of stairs.
* The storage of stacks of old newspapers creating a fire hazard in the home.
"Many of these hazards can be quickly observed and removed."
Fast Fact information
from the Public Health Association of Australia
Falls injuries are the leading cause of injury-related death and are a leading
cause of injury-related hospitalisation in those aged 65 years and older. Many
of these injuries are severe: less than half of older people hospitalised for
a fracture or other serious injury following a fall are able to return home.
The remainder require long term care, that requires substantial resources by
aged care facilities.
Population (epidemiological) studies show that hip fractures are the most serious
fall-related injury in older people with 15% dying in hospital and a third not
surviving beyond one year afterwards.
Media
Enquiries:
David Hallett General Manager Archicentre (03) 9819 4577 Mobile: 0439 439 115
Ron Smith Corporate
Media Communications Archicentre (03) 9818 5700 Mobile: 0417 329 201