Comfort Keepers In Home Care Provider in Lancaster, CA: Tips on Keeping Seniors Safe from Fire Accidents

In home care provider - Comfort Keepers of Lancaster, CA discusses how you and your senior loved one can prevent fire accidents this winter! 

A glance at some stats

The use of fire dates back to the time our ancestors used it for cooking, lighting and to scare away harmful wildlife. As much as fire is good for a number of obvious reasons, Comfort Keepers in home care provider is alarmed with the number of people who have been affected by fire accidents. Wild fires and house fire accidents are reported from time to time, with the incidences being in their thousands on annual basis.

During such disasters, Comfort Keepers in home care providers are particularly concerned about the elderly particularly those aged 65 years are usually the major culprits. This raises eyebrows as they account for about 40% of the fire victims, while they comprise a meager 10% of the total population in the USA. Some risk factors seem to predispose them to the deleterious effects of fire accidents.

Risk factors

Getting old is associated with a decline in ones mental as well as physical abilities, a major explanation to their sluggish and relatively uncoordinated response to fire accidents. Their ability to make use of the five senses in escaping from fire accidents is also greatly impaired. As a company, Comfort Keepers in home care providers has a staff that is well educated on these issues. 

Elderly people have an unfortunate increase in reaction timing. Anatomical changes to the corpus callosum, and other neural areas occasioned by aging are thought to be responsible for this. Medications which have significant effects on the nervous system also tend to make the drowsy and slow to respond to emergencies.

As much as these risk factors are associated with detrimental effects to the seniors, Comfort Keepers in home care provider believes that addressing the sources of the house fires could help improve the situation. Adopting safe cooking practices and getting rid of grease which easily catches fire could really help. Besides that being keen while using alternative lighting such as candles, fixing faulty electrical circuits and preferring safe smoking practices will work the trick.

Tips on fire safety and prevention

• Installation of smoke detectors; as the saying goes, where there is smoke there’s fire. Detecting smoke in timely fashion could prevent major fire accidents. The detectors should be positioned in well-thought locations such as ceilings, sleeping areas and in every floor in storied building. Apart from fixing them regular maintenance by cleaning and replacement of the batteries is advised.
• Devising a response plan; as much as detector would help you know the presence of a fire, having a plan will help in undertaking directed efforts in case of a fire accident. Mark the exit routes and place walking aids in the appropriate places for the seniors.
• Take on safe cooking practices; to avoid kitchen fires you ought to be more cautious while cooking besides getting rid of grease on your cooking pots. Having an ABC fire extinguisher is recommended.
• Adopt responsible smoking habits; avoid smoking while in the kitchen and getting rid of ash in an appropriate manner.
• Fix your faulty electrical circuits; address electrical problems such as dimming lights and overloaded switches to avoid electrical fires.