Brick House

Late last night I was roused from my slumber by the prod of my wife's elbow in the small of my back. Convinced that there was an intruder downstairs, she insisted that I investigate. With the appropriate home protection device in hand, I ambled through my bedroom door and made my way down the dimly lit hallway to rescue my family from the villainous ice-maker which I was convinced had made all of the ruckus to start with. Just a few feet from the top of the stairs, I had not yet found any signs of an intrusion. Cautiously, I took one final step to the look down from the top of the stairway and immediately doubled over on the floor, writhing in agony. Having awakened everyone in my home and neighborhood with what was undoubtedly not my finest verbal exposition on the subject of human suffering, I turned on the light in the hallway and began the process of removing the small red Lego brick from my right forefoot.

Every parent of small children has shared the wondrous joy of the Lego-foot. It is an expected pain which always happens unexpectedly. From the moment my children open up their overpriced plastic bricks on Christmas morning, I know that at least one of the 4,337 pieces will take me down.

In each home there are similar dangers lurking in dark corners. For some of us, the evil Dutch blocks are the antagonists. For others, household dangers could take the shape of throw rugs or extension cords. Regardless of the shape the cause may take, the risks associated with taking an unexpected tumble grow larger the older we become.

To help make home a safer place to be, Home Instead Senior Care has recently launched a fantastic collection of free resources aimed at reducing some of the dangerous pitfalls which plague seniors who have chosen to age in their own homes. In our experience, the vast majority of seniors would prefer to age in place but many of them are denied that opportunity due to an accident of some type.  Most of what we see as potential dangers are simple matters of organization and order; the frayed edge of a throw rug, a stack of old newspapers or magazines next to a favorite chair, the cord to a lamp which sticks out from behind an end table just enough to catch a passing foot. Thanks to the increasing number of American seniors making the choice to age in place, the cost and trouble of making other minor safety modifications to a home has dropped dramatically in recent years. Once something left in the hands of licensed contractors, things like grab bars around the tub are now available at every home improvement store across the fruited plain and easy enough for anyone to safely install.

Household dangers are real and completely avoidable. Whether you choose to download the safety assessment and check out your aging parent's home yourself or would rather have a member of our staff walk through their home with you and point out some of what we have seen as potential problem areas, there are great resources available at your fingertips. The stakes are too high to do nothing.

Click here to find out more about our Making Home Safe For Seniors Program.

National Poison Prevention Week

All week long you are likely to hear public service announcements and news stories about National Poison Prevention week. Contrary to popular belief, this has less to do with preventing a reunion of the popular 80's hair band and more about protecting people from other, even more toxic substances.


The miracle of modern medicine has brought with it incredible advances in both longevity as well as quality of life. The phrase "70 is the new 60" is no longer just a cute quip on a Hallmark card but rather a realistic statement about the type of active lifestyles that seniors are increasingly able to lead. But just as Every Rose Has Its Thorn, powerful chemicals capable of saving and restoring lives naturally carry with them power to put people's lives in danger as well if they are not treated with the respect they require.

A senior's medicine cabinet is a treasure trove of potentially dangerous substances. As Life Goes On, aging adults find themselves taking an average of five different medications every day. Many medications will simply become ineffective after passing their expiration date. Other medications, such as eye drops, can become bacterial contaminants in as little as one month after opening. But there are other dangers lurking in the shadows of a senior's medicine cabinet.

Every day new medical discoveries change the landscape of medicine. Today, a new drug may give a senior and their family Something To Believe In. By next year, that same drug could be science's Fallen Angel; a medication with great promise but one whose peaks were not as substantial as its pitfalls. Vioxx and Celebrex are recent examples of drugs which have now been shown to lead to increased fatalities under certain conditions.

Another concern for drugs and their respective expiration dates is the environment in which the drugs are kept. Even a 10 degree rise in temperature has been shown to double the amount of chemical reactions in a medical product and can greatly accelerate the rate of bacterial contamination. Many times, seniors keep their homes at a much higher or lower temperature. Sometimes this temperature is intentionally chosen while other times it may be the result of an older HVAC unit. In either instance, the temperature in which the medication is stored can greatly increase the risks associated with seniors and their medication.

Aside from the direct risks posed to seniors there are risks for their families as well.
 

"Pharm Parties" have been on the rise among teenagers and college students for some time. Young adults who are looking for Nothin' But a Good Time raid their parent's and/or grandparent's medicine cabinets and throw each colorful pill into a big bowl which becomes the pharmacological centerpiece of the soiree.

Take a moment this week to go through the medicine cabinet with the senior in your life. You will probably be shocked at what you find.

Hi Tech Doodads And Sharks With Laser Beams

Technology is an amazing thing. Every time I hear about a new gizmo or gadget I can't help but wonder "What's next?"

On some level, I resent technology. There have been unimaginable advancements made but with each new tool or shortcut it seems that we lose something as well. Take Facebook for instance; it is an amazing thing that, within seconds of his birth, I am able to share pictures of my newborn son with  family in Texas. Yet along the superhighway of connectivity there have been some casualties. How long has it been since you have sat down to hand-write a letter? I would guess it's been a while.

GPS Navigational systems in our cars and on our phones always have us a few short clicks away from turn-by-turn directions to anywhere our cars will take us. Unfortunately, that level of techno-dependecy has left many people unable to find their way around their own neighborhoods. My dad seemingly knew every back road and shortcut in the city of San Antonio, Texas. Knowledge he likely acquired through innumerable wrong turns over the years. Nevertheless, the knowledge was his. Few people possess that knowledge now. In truth, I often nod my head in ignorance when someone attempts to tell me where they live or work. "I'll just google it."

In senior care there have similarly been wonderful advancements through the last several years. As the option for a senior to live out their golden years at home has become an increasing reality, so too have the different ways to make that a more feasible choice. XBox 360, the same video game technology which thrills teenagers and perpetual college students, now offers families a way to monitor the movement and relative stability of their parents from a distance. When an aging parent's gait changes or becomes unstable a sensor detects the change and alerts the appropriate family member. Similarly, there are special shoes with which you may now outfit your senior. These "mechatronic" shoes will monitor the gait pattern of a senior and let a family member know when they become less nimble.

But Stephen, these all seem like really good things.

Yes, yes, dear reader. But allow me a moment to paint a slightly fuller picture of the hazardous space into which this new fangled technology will be thrown.

A short time ago, I visited with a client and her daughter who had acquired some of this exciting new monitoring technology. My visit was prompted by concerns that several of the caregivers had voiced about a rickety wheeled chair at the kitchen table which they believe posed a serious safety threat. I discussed the many different ways that a chair of that nature could easily slide out from under a senior who was increasingly unsteady on her feet. I further suggested the removal of the radio which sat atop the kitchen table in front of said chair. I have nothing against radios. However, at issue was the radio's extension cord which needed to be stepped over in order to sit in the rickety wheeled chair. I was assured that the extension cord would not be an issue because it had been neatly tucked under the curled up front corner of the area rug which bordered that section of the kitchen. It was as if I was watching a sadistic game of senior twister. Right hand table. Left foot throw rug. Right foot extension cord. I fear that my face may have betrayed me when I inquired as to whether or not the Koi pond in the backyard had also been stocked full of sharks with laser beams attached to their heads. 

No amount of technology can overcome the presence of household hazards. A poorly lit hallway or stairwell will still be a major safety concern even if fancy monitoring toys are installed. The toys will not keep your parent(s) safe. The toys will only more readily alert you of their faltering.

Our journey with each new client always begins with a home safety inspection. We will take the time to walk through the home with a client and/or family member to point out the things which we have historically seen to be hazards. We look for things like: wheeled chairs, extension cords, throw rugs, and piranha-infested koi ponds. Only after we have worked with a family to remove the hazards can we really even pretend to add things which claim to make a senior more safe at home.