A recent story on 9 News addressed the increase in deaths from falls. Read the article full article here.
Safety in the Home
The most common accidents in the home are falls and they occur most often to senior citizens. We trip over rugs, slip on wet floors, and fall from ladders or on our steps. More than 6100 deaths each year are a result of a fall in the home. The second most common home accident is fire. Burns and asphyxiation from smoke or toxic fumes claim senior citizens more frequently. Over 3900 deaths per year are attributed to fires and burns in the home.
Evergreen Fire Rescue offers several programs and classes to help keep you safe in your home. The File of Life program is a way of keeping track of your vital medical information so that emergency responders to your home can access it quickly. It can be kept on the outside of your refrigerator, on a medicine cabinet, or on the inside of a metal door to your home. If you fill out the File of Life with a pencil then you can update it when needed as revisions in medications or health conditions occur.
The File of Life helps us help you! Keep the information current for your medications and dosages. Our paramedics will check the logical locations for this information if we come to assist you. If you would like a red magnetic holder for the File of Life for your home please let us know. Complete a form for each person in your household.
We are also available to do presentations about Fall Prevention and safety in the home. Contact paramedic Mike Sivertson to request a speaker for your group or organization. Mike can be reached by leaving a voice mail at 303.679.6981 or msivertson@evergreenfirerescue.com
Some helpful Information:
- File of Life Form
- Home Fall Prevention Checklist
- What YOU can do to prevent falls
- Don’t Fall for Us
- The Evergreen Senior Resource Center: http://www.srcaging.org/locations_evergreen.shtml