Tips for Implementing an Up-To-Date Fire Preparedness Plan Is Part of Senior Care in Los Feliz and Elsewhere

Having an up-to-date fire preparedness plan is an essential part of safety. You may need to take additional precautions to help your elderly loved one. Pegasus Home Health Care experts in Los Feliz and elsewhere have compiled these tips to aid you.

Fire injures or kills more individuals than any other disaster. Statistics show that the elderly experience twice the rate of injuries or death than younger individuals. Smoking is the biggest cause of fires in homes.

Pegasus Home Health Care Professionals Can Help With Planning

We are realistic. We understand that if your loved one smokes, they aren’t going to immediately stop because of statistics. However, our services do include arranging for smoking cessation help if desired.

What you and our senior care professionals can do for elderly smokers is discourage unsafe practices. That includes smoking in bed or when impaired by their medications. If you can, get them to switch to fire-safe cigarettes.  

Make sure to have deep ashtrays wherever the individual is likely to smoke. Install smoke detectors in every room and check the batteries at least once a year.

Smoke Detectors Can Save Your Loved One’s Life

Fires often occur at nighttime. Smoke can make people sleep deeper rather than awakening them. Smoke detectors are meant to startle individuals out of sleep and alert them to danger.

Seniors may have impaired hearing or vision, or both. You can install smoke detectors that vibrate or use strobe lights to get their attention. You can also install alarms that flash an outside strobe light to alert neighbors.

Check the windows and other exit points. Make sure everything can be opened from the inside by your loved one. If items such as eyeglasses or canes are needed, purchase extras if necessary and keep them by the bed.

Residential fire sprinkler systems can be a life-saving investment. Fire-resistant nightclothes and bedding can minimize burn injuries. Even if your loved one isn’t strong enough to operate fire extinguishers, install them anyway.

Keep the fire extinguishers charged and ready to use. Rescue personnel may require them to save your loved one.

You may need to make modifications to doorways or hallways for mobility devices. There has to be adequate clearance for devices such as wheelchairs. All escape plans must factor in the individual’s mobility and cognition abilities.

An elderly person may not be able to safely exit through a window. Traditional advice is to stop, drop, and roll when caught on fire. That may be impossible for many seniors.

Pegasus senior care includes physical therapy when needed. A physical therapist can teach a physically-impaired individual alternate positions to protect themselves. Therapy also strengthens a person and can improve mobility.

Many individuals will try to put out a fire before calling for help. This can be especially true for an elderly person. They may feel embarrassed or worried if they believe the fire was their fault.

Emphasize to your loved one that the cause of a fire is less important than their safety. They need to get out of the house as quickly as possible. They can call the fire department after they are in a safe place.

Checklists Keep You From Overlooking Hazards

The Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) has compiled a comprehensive brochure on home safety for the elderly. You can download it for free. The brochure is full of tips and checklists designed to reduce or eliminate fire hazards.

In disasters such as wildfires, rescue personnel may take hours or days to reach your loved one. Even individuals living in areas where wildfires may not be a threat should have an emergency kit. You can find suggestions here for what to include in a kit.

You will have to customize the kit to fit the needs of your elder. The contents of the kit will depend on individual physical and mental conditions. Be sure to include your contact information so strangers can contact you if your loved one is incapacitated.

Contact local fire departments. They need to be aware of your loved one’s disabilities. It’s also essential to inform them of medical equipment, such as oxygen concentrators, that are in use.

You Can Rely on Pegasus Senior Care

Senior care provided by Pegasus in Los Feliz and our other locations can help you and your loved one. We can look at the home environment with fresh eyes. That means we might observe potential fire hazards or practices that you overlooked.

If you believe that your loved one is unsafe preparing meals or using a cookstove, we can assist. Our services include food preparation and cleanup. We have aides who know not to overload electrical circuits when they assist with house cleaning chores.

Pegasus home health care is a resource on which you can rely. Helping individuals live safely at home is our priority. We’re here for you whether implementing a fire preparedness plan or providing other services to keep your loved one safe.