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Thought I'd start a generic thread about senior safety and precautions. I'm thinking of physical safety including crime directed at elders. Anyone with tips to share welcome. Not sure I want discussion about guns here, though. There's other forums for that.
Daily call-in to seniors:
This morning I read in my local town weekly a service for seniors/elders offered by the police station. It's an automated daily phone call to the residence, an "Are you OK?" call. If the elder is okay, s/he hangs up. If no answer after two calls, the police come and investigate. If you or an elder you know could use this service, call your police station. In my town it's a free service, and the notice says that lives have been saved. This is probably good even for younger seniors who live alone and have health problems or are disabled.
Thought I'd start a generic thread about senior safety and precautions. I'm thinking of physical safety including crime directed at elders. Anyone with tips to share welcome. Not sure I want discussion about guns here, though. There's other forums for that.
Daily call-in to seniors:
This morning I read in my local town weekly a service for seniors/elders offered by the police station. It's an automated daily phone call to the residence, an "Are you OK?" call. If the elder is okay, s/he hangs up. If no answer after two calls, the police come and investigate. If you or an elder you know could use this service, call your police station. In my town it's a free service, and the notice says that lives have been saved. This is probably good even for younger seniors who live alone and have health problems or are disabled.
Hmm! Now am I supposed/expected to follow directions here, NEG? Doubt you'd know how to act if I did.
We're just rural enough that the local sheriff's patrol would not likely be much help. However, our community is small enough that strange cars and people are easily recognized. It's also close enough that if neighbors see a break in your "routine" they wonder and check up on you.
At some point in time it would likely be wise for us to get a response system set-up to include a daily check-in option but that will be a way down the road from our circumstance now. It helps to have two of us in the home. Meanwhile, for safety's sake, I have those items that make loud noises and small but effective holes in things.
Hmm! Now am I supposed/expected to follow directions here, NEG? Doubt you'd know how to act if I did.
We're just rural enough that the local sheriff's patrol would not likely be much help. However, our community is small enough that strange cars and people are easily recognized. It's also close enough that if neighbors see a break in your "routine" they wonder and check up on you.
At some point in time it would likely be wise for us to get a response system set-up to include a daily check-in option but that will be a way down the road from our circumstance now. It helps to have two of us in the home. Meanwhile, for safety's sake, I have those items that make loud noises and small but effective holes in things.
Yes I knew you'd kick off the responses with a Wyatt Earp interpretation.
Now you know I meant OTHER safety issues. What triggered (oops, wrong word) this thread is the notice I cited (above) in my paper, and the memory of my mother when she was only 50-something haven fallen down the basement stairs, couldn't get up, there were no cell phones then, and she had no phone in the basement.
From learning by personal experience, so far I have six MUSTS for anyone of any age but esp over 60:
- Landline on long cords (except when children are visiting) in every main room, close to the floor
- Landline in basement rooms that are used (laundry, rec room, etc)
- Cell phone (charged) on your person (not in handbag or briefcase) at all times
- And if needed, the "Are you OK?" automated call from the police station
- Full first-aid kit within the car
- Water and snacks within the car always
Here are some ideas from a blog post of mine last year. As more of us decide to stay in our homes as long as possible, this becomes more important than ever.
Walk-In Tubs: Walk-In Tubs are not cheap but one of the first major modifications to consider. They are safe, easy to use and allow anyone the independence of giving themselves a bath. Walk-in tubs have slip resistant floors and built-in hand grips. They are much safer then a standard bath tub or shower. While you are modifying the bathroom install a raised toilet seat with handles. Thousands are hurt each year by attempting to use a toilet that is too low for an aging body to use safely.
Throw rugs. Especially if placed over wood floors or tile, small rugs can easily cause one to trip or slip. Plastic mats placed by doors to prevent mud or snow from being tracked into the house are an accident waiting to happen. For wall-to-wall carpeting, the lower the nap the better.
Levered Handles: Levered handles are much easier to use than standard doorknobs. Instead of having to turn a knob, levered handles allow a door to open by merely pushing the handle down. Arthritis can make twisting a knob quite difficult. With a lever, one push down and the door opens.
Stair Railings: If there are stairs in your home, it is a good idea to have additional hand railings installed. Usually there is a railing on only one side of the staircase. Make sure all railings extend the full length of the stairs. Place non skid tape strips, or non skid reflective strips on stair risers to help prevent any sliding or falling on the stair case.
Widened Door Openings: Widened door openings are essential for anyone who uses a walker or wheelchair. Housing with narrow doorways or hallways can essentially trap someone in a wheelchair in just a few areas of the home.
Sinks and cabinets: Sinks are another modification that can make life much easier for seniors. With levered faucets and lowered counter surfaces they can be used without as much effort. Check that there is enough room between the floor and bottom of the sink to allow wheelchair access. The same approach applies to cabinets in the bathroom or kitchen. If possible, lower them so reaching isn't necessary.
Extensions cords. Make sure those wires from lamps, fans, or stereos are not crossing a path through a room or sticking out from behind the couch. Many older homes may not have GFI (ground fault interrupted) electrical outlets in bathrooms and kitchens.That oversight can kill. Replacement outlets are quite affordable.
Brighter Lighting. As we age our eyesight declines. Brighter light is required for all tasks, as well as reading and safely moving through a room. Install extra lamps (though watch out for excessive cords..see above) or wall lamps. Use brighter bulbs where possible.
Remove unnecessary clutter. It is simply amazing the amount of stuff we accumulate if we live in a house for any number of years. You don't even have to have a pack rat-type personality to have a dangerous amount of clutter. In addition to being a tripping hazard, fire is another concern as we age. Our ability to quickly exit a burning home is diminished if things are cluttered. Also consider the placement of furniture. If someone is using a wheelchair or a walker the general guideline is at least 5 feet between any two pieces of furniture.
Meanwhile, for safety's sake, I have those items that make loud noises and small but effective holes in things.
People on the gun forum are obsessed with power and make no distinctions among shooters except to imply (or state explicitly) that if you don't pack whatever is the currently fashionable fist cannon then surely you are both an idiot and a wimp, But different people have different needs and it seems that we should discuss a particular need of many old folks. I'm thinking of people with severe arthritis, bone spurs, etc. They just have trouble with the recoil of many popular guns. Rather than worry about shot to shot recovery (getting the gun back on target after a shot) I believe that it's reasonable to discuss lighter loads. A quick and dirty formula for recoils is bullet + powder weight X velocity / weight of gun. The formula for kinetic energy is 1/2 velocity squared X weight of bullet. Looking at these two formulae we immediately see that if we decrease bullet weight and increase velocity we get a far better tradeoff between energy and recoil. Therefore, it behooves us to consider rounds like the .22 magnum, .32 H&R magnum, and light bullet loads for others.
My daily carry guns are a S&W Model 638 in .38 special backed up by a North American Arms minirevolver in .22 magnum. My .38 special ammo is Magsafe, rated as an excellent stopper but with a bullet weighing only sixty grains. It's an interesting way to get the job done and I'll provide a link.
I use CCI +V .22 magnum which has a 35 grain bullet in the mini. With the Smith and Magsafe I can pop the center five times very rapidly and change targets should the need arise. The mini is harder to shoot but is also harder to spot, the gun you carry when you can't carry. I do carry a S&W Model 649 when I'm wearing a bulky coat. I load it with Federal 125 grain hollow points. Recoil is snappy but I handle it fine; I have arthritis as well as a bone spur at the base of my right thumb. This gun (and the 638) fits just right which helps with recoil a good bit. But it's a heavier and harder to conceal gun. I've always liked the shrouded hammer Smiths more than the concealed hammer. Both are excellent for pocket carry but the shrouded hammer allows single action shooting for more accurate shooting. Strangely the Paraordnance 10-45 is an easy gun for me to shoot. Small and relatively light frame, .45 automatic, it just rocks back in my hand when I shoot; but if I put in the extension magazine it recoils in a much harder fashion.
As we grow old we need many of the same products but often different versions. This certainly holds true for guns. What are your thoughts? do you pack what you did twenty years ago or are you changing? Do you have any other ideas for the geezer and geezerette trade. I carry what I think will work and these guns have been my favorites for years. As far as the revolver vs auto debate is concerned my opinion is that when a part of the basic training is learning how to clear jams quickly i'll take the alternative. Make mine a revolver.
Bad guys make the old and gray primary targets; let's return the favor.
We always carry "water and snacks in the car" - but then, when you live 38 miles from a 'town' and in an area where it can be a sunny day where we are, but a blizzard in 'town', that just makes sense. Blankets, extra jackets, and a comprehensive 'jump bag' of emergency medical supplies are always in the back, too - you never know when you might come up on a stranded motorist, or be one yourself. We don't have a tub at all, just a shower stall, since DH can't get his R leg up high enough to get in and out of anything with even a small 'lip' or edge. We have sturdy furniture that lines the walls, not the cheap pasteboard or wicker stuff - so he doesn't have to use his cane in the house, and all of our stairs have rails on both sides so we can haul ourselves up them or guide ourselves down them, even with our arms full. The coolest thing this old house has is a LARGE laundry chute that goes to the basement where the W/D are; we don't carry anything downstairs if we don't want to! We only carry small loads going up. I am gradually replacing all of the ceiling-level flush lights with chandelier-type lights; flush-mounted lights on a 10-foot ceiling don't give out much light. (Besides, it gives me a good chance to change the decor; I used to sell lighting products, and 'decorating with light' is fun!) We also have wall-mounted sconce lights where necessary, and DH just installed another one under the basement stairs. We have replaced a lot of the single-bulb basement and outbuilding lights with the long tubes of fluorescents.
The "Are you OK?" calls wouldn't work here - even though the county sheriff lives down the street from us, he's usually on the road with his other 2 deputies. Response times for ambulances and police are about 30 -45 minutes, even in emergencies. Moreover, not getting an answer to an automated or otherwise outside call around here is nothing unusual - even the 80-year-olds are outside doing things like fixing fence, delivering calves, and even just going for walks. Plus many of us - being so far out - are often gone all day if we just go to the doc or the grocery store. Mostly we just check up on each other out here. Due to DH's meds, if he goes to town by himself, he often gets sleepy en route; he pulls over and takes a nap. Everyone knows this and they don't stop any more to check on him; they just drive by and let him sleep.
Fortunately, all of us still drive (some of us more slowly than others, but that is mostly to save gas) and all of us carry. Don (my 81-year-old neighbor) will be out in an early morning with his .22 rifle, shooting the rabbits out of our gardens. John (the 83 year old across the way) carries a .22 pistol to shoot the squirrels - and other varmints. DH carries a .45, but even tho he is crippled still has the upper-body strength and big hands to wrap around it; I carry the S&W .38. We keep loaded .22 rifles by each door and one in the shop - all easily accessed but hidden from unfamiliar eyes, just because. The younger folk usually have a .45 in built-in holsters in their trucks, and a 30.06 in the gun rack on their trucks. You'd think folks would be uncomfortable with all of these guns around, but between 4-legged and two-legged varmints, often just being out for a walk or in the 'yard' doing work and getting suddenly attacked by everything from wild dogs or skunks to aggressive flocks of wild turkeys, carrying just makes sense. (One of my friends walked out her door this past Monday to go to work, and there was a full-sized skunk right off of her back porch, between her and her truck. She reached inside the back door, grabbed her rifle, and shot him dead.) Safety around here is pretty much on-your-own, although we do occasionally go by neighbors' houses if we haven't seen them in a few days, to check on them.
It is a good idea to carry water and snacks in your car no matter where you live. In FL several seniors had wrecks and ended up in places where they couldn't be seen and were stuck for days. Of course it is a good idea for everyone to do that.
I also have a gun although where I live now is very safe but you just never know. I have dated several men who carried a gun in their cars.
It is a good idea to carry water and snacks in your car no matter where you live. In FL several seniors had wrecks and ended up in places where they couldn't be seen and were stuck for days. Of course it is a good idea for everyone to do that.
I also have a gun although where I live now is very safe but you just never know. I have dated several men who carried a gun in their cars.
Living in a very rural area in a very hilly and wild region, much of which is very remote, we always have emergency equipment in our car. It just makes good sense. In addition to what you mentioned we have items for the car, an emergency blanket, flashlights, first aid kit and more. They don't take up very much room in the trunk and we consider them to be essentials. Included whenever we leave the house are cell phones, a car charger for them and a gun. I have a permit to carry and rarely leave home without one. Like you said, you never know and it only takes once be it two or four-footed.
For me, I need to remember that just because I run up the stairs, doesn't mean I should be running down them.
Also, stair treads are useful but hitting the bare landing while wearing "socks only" is apparently a no-no! Ask me how I know...
Not yet senior, but no longer have the bones of a 30 year old.
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Seniors living at home safely
