Fire Prevention Checklist: The Kitchen

One of the most important things that you do for your aging loved one as their family caregiver is help to keep them safe. While you might think of this in terms of their challenges and limitations, it is vital that you also keep in mind other risks that they can face. One such risk is a home fire. Around 400,000 of these fires occur each year, resulting in approximately 3,000 deaths. Elderly adults are at the highest risk for both injuries and death associated with home fires. In fact, seniors who are 64 years and older are at nearly three times the risk for such consequences, a rate that increases to more than four times for those who are 84 years and older.

As your parent’s family caregiver, you can help to protect them from such serious consequences by going through their home and checking for safety, as well as making meaningful modifications to improve their safety as they age in place.

Use this checklist to help prevent fires in your parent’s kitchen:

• Ensure the stove and oven are properly cleaned to avoid grease buildup catching on fire.
• Keep all flammable objects away from the stove, including dishcloths, oven mitts, and papers.
• Encourage your parent to use a timer to ensure that they do not forget when they have food in the oven or on the stove.
• Keep a fire extinguisher easily accessible so that if there is a fire in your parent’s kitchen they are able to address it quickly.
• Ensure all electrical appliances are in good condition, including the plugs and the wires.

Starting elderly care can be one of the best decisions that you can make during the course of your caregiver journey with your senior loved one. An elderly home care services provider can be with your aging parent on a fully customized schedule to ensure that they are getting all of the care, support, encouragement, and assistance they need to manage their individual needs, challenges, and limitations as they age in place. A set of highly personalized services are designed to help your parent remain as safe, healthy, comfortable, and happy as possible throughout their later years while also encouraging them to live a lifestyle that is as active, engaged, and independent as possible. As their caregiver, this can give you confidence and peace of mind knowing that even if you are not able to be with your parent as often as you would like, they are still in good hands.

If you or an aging loved one are considering elderly care in Wayne, PA, contact the caring professionals at Reliant At Home Care today (610) 674-6860.