People with intellectual disabilities are 4 times more likely to die in a fire than the general population, and their risk increases as they move toward more independent living.
Thanks to funding from The Rochester Area Community Foundation Developmental Disabilities Giving Circle, The Jane L. and Laurence C. Glazer Charitable Trust and Community Health Strategies, Prevention 1st developed and implemented a multi-phase pilot Safe at Home program.
The goal of the program was to help people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities learn how to live safely as they transition into independent living settings. The program was implemented in participants’ homes by experienced training teams.
The pilot was a great success! The number of residential hazards in our participants’ homes was reduced and participant performance of all targeted fire safety skills increased significantly. At our initial assessment participants performed an average of only 32% of the essential steps of each skill. By the end of training this improved to 92%. At the three month follow-up it actually increased to 93%.
In the words of one participant’s family:
“Safe at Home was an excellent experience for my 25 year old son. [The Safe at Home trainers] were most adept at recognizing Stephen’s needs and adjusting their information for him to understand accordingly. Stephen now has the means to protect himself from fire in his home and to be safer in the kitchen. We would recommend this program to anyone who wants their adult children to be independent.”
–parents of a Safe at Home participant
Safe at Home training is open to anyone interested in staying safe…at home! The program is customized for each individual and delivered in the home by experienced professional trainers. It is especially valuable for those moving into a new living situation. To learn more about Safe at Home or if you live in the Rochester, NY area and are interested in participating, please visit www.safeathometraining.org.