Strategic Risk Solutions

‘SUNRISE’ latest edition - The Magazine for Inspired Seniors (July / August 2018)
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Safer Life with DK - ‘Turning Homes into Havens.’ - By Damith Kurunduhewa
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"He who is of a calm and happy nature will hardly feel the pressure of age” professed Plato.

Yes ! A pre-requisite of achieving calm and happy status in life is to - stay healthy and stay safe.

The last column of mine here highlighted safety tips on the “designing aspect” of age-friendly homes. In continuity of the theme, this column focuses on the random operational aspects and safety management approach for age-friendly homes upon occupation.

Among other concerns and arrangements, there are two critical territories that need to be thought of especially when it comes to managing of age-friendly homes, as segmented below.

• Home Health
• Home Safety

Apt focus on these two territories becomes the responsibility of the managements in the case of administered homes, and it becomes the responsibility of the younger members of the family or assigned caretakers in the case of private homes - be it solo, clustered, lateral or multi-storied.

While the initial setting may take the shape as above, the improvement and maintenance becomes a shared responsibility of those overseeing homes and also of the in-house occupants.

The seniors may be living all alone, or supported by domestics or younger members of the family on regular or intermittent basis. Thus the situations need to be managed to meet varying ground realities. Nevertheless, these generic health & safety teasers would help everyone concerned and in need.

Home Health:

"Those who think they have no time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness." said British statesman of the yesteryear Edward Stanley. That’s how phenomenally the graceful aging and healthy living are perceived by the prudent.

Preservation of healthy environment is essential in any household, not only in dedicated age-friendly homes. But given the levels of fragile energy, sluggish recovery speed and ailment proneness of the aged; it is only sensible that health domain of the seniors be treated with a distinctive focus.

Domestic health-guards can be fragmented in to the following.

• Home cleanliness
• Home hygiene
• Personal hygiene
• Pets’ hygiene

Starting from maintaining the breathing air quality, the home needs to be cleansed by scheduled non-toxic fumigation and organic pest control sessions. Adequate daily use of disinfectants thereafter can help to carry forward the ambient hygiene.

Another line of focus is the placement of easy to reach user-friendly hand washing facilities. On a different angle, health-guards against common outbreaks such as Influenza, Dengue and Sore-Eyes should be planned out both by the administrators and the occupants.

Placement of weather protected and temperature maintained portable medication containers help the senior occupants. A first aid box with objectively analyzed assortment of medicines should be a regular feature in an age-friendly home. Only certain drugs can be kept in atmospheric temperature. The drugs that require specified levels of temperature need applicable mini-storage facility at home.

Proper sanitation and health-guards for the main water source that is bringing water for cooking and drinking is a critical necessity. The kitchen health needs special focus to ensure end to end food hygiene.

It is essential that proper holding methods for both dry and wet waste are in place until the disposal.

Age friendly home is best prepared, when it is made ready to respond a domestic medical emergency. It could be a stroke, fracture or injury, breathing difficulty or a food poisoning.

Be it an oxygen device, orthopedic appliance, wheelchair, stretcher, torch, face mask or ambulance parking space, there are times even the responding care-givers are compelled to waste precious seconds owing to the non-availability of right apparatus at home at the crucial minute.

Home Safety:

“One bad day at the grinder could ruin your whole lifespan - or what’s remaining of it” goes a saying.

In managing home safety for the seniors, we need to remember that most often their cycle of concentration is shorter than what it used to be, memory span isn’t all that great, visibility is challenged, reflexes have become stiffer and slower while their energy level is on the decline as the time passes. In some cases, their voices have gone frail, thus a SOS yell may go unheard or misheard.

They could still be able and agile for their age, yet safety systems and work tools should also be non-complicated by default. Thus the mantra for all designs and appliances should be ‘age-friendly and user specific’ as much as practicably possible.

One of the key age-friendly home elements is the electrical safety. The focus is aimed at minimizing the damage to life, house and appliances by lightning, electrically caused fires and electrocution itself. Proper safety controls must be applied for other utilities such as LP gas, cooking oil, flammables in the house and water chambers.

Apart from fire prevention controls in a home for seniors, it is essential that early detection of fires, notification to the action stations and alarm sounders to the occupants and immediate neighbourhood be placed on automatic mode. Alternate alarming devices need to be used for those with hearing issues.

Technology can also help to automatically send pre-programmed distress texts to family members too notwithstanding the distance, but better pre-pick the ones who live closer and would respond. The seniors need to be given the escape education as well in order to minimize the life risk in domestic fires.

When it comes to age-friendly homes, the communication facilities play a vital role. Those tools need to be chosen based on user convenience and practicality. This chant applies even for entertainment consoles at home.

Emergency (or essential) contact numbers listing in large-font on display at a few vantage (but private) points is always useful. Ensuring the illumination at right lux-level for aging eyes is a need too - for both reading and general work - preferably supported by backup power source.

The selection of mats and carpets should be based on the principle of anti-slipping. The height levels of the mats shouldn’t be a movement hindrance. The entangling possibilities of the carpets need a closer look at - as a measure of fall prevention.

The furniture such as chairs, tables, beds and stairway railing chairs for seniors should be of lightweight for easy handling and designed for body-static and body-maneuvering ergonomics. When selecting bathroom appliances too, age-friendly ergonomics is a due consideration.

Similar to the health related emergencies, an age-friendly home or a cluster of homes become steadier when equipped with an action plan to effectively manage a safety emergency. It could be a domestic fire, flash floods, intrusion or a venomous serpent invasion.

The emergency can surface within the house or a sn*******ng disaster may pop-up from the neighbourhood. Both situations demand action at the earliest - and overall readiness matters.

We learned the importance of health and safety many moons ago. Yet we tend to forget. Now this is a gentle reminder, especially for you - the inspired seniors……

…..“Sunshine tomorrow is our reward for living safe today…!!”

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The author is a foremost enterprise risk management specialist (including safety risks), and a corporate risk trainer who serves as the CEO of Strategic Risk Solutions - Colombo. He can be reached via eMail on [email protected] or via web

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