Prevention 1st has formed a partnership with Lifespan of Greater Rochester, which shares our mission of helping older adults and others be safe at home. Beginning in January, Prevention 1st will become a program of Lifespan.
Prevention 1st delivered its first class with Lifespan on November 15 as part of Lifespan’s free “Information and Inspiration” series. Thanks to Nancy Lane, who did a great job in Prevention 1st’s very first 1-hour in-person/zoom hybrid class.
The class was very well received and the group asked some great questions. We also received kudos from the training manager who sat in on the class. We look forward to presenting more safety workshops in 2022.
Prevention 1st will offer “Home Safety Strategies” on November 15 as part of Lifespan’s free “Information and Inspiration” series. Learn how to make your home safe by identifying common hazards that make you vulnerable to fires, falls, and preventable accidents..
The session will be in-person (masks required) at Lifespan, 1900 S. Clinton Ave, Rochester, NY.
Get family involved! Enlisting their grandchildren can be a great way to help older adults receive important reminders about avoiding injuries. Kids can help check for household hazards and look to see that there are smoke alarms. Older kids and teens can help test alarms and help you with other safety checks and tasks. A few things to remember:
Check the home for tripping hazards. If there are small rugs, they can be taped down to avoid slipping.
Are all the exits clear of furniture and clutter? Would it be easy to get out of the home if the smoke alarm or CO detector goes off?
Are night lights needed in bedrooms, bathrooms and hallways? Make sure there is enough light at the top of stairs.
Are stair handrails firm?
Does the bathroom need grab bars, a non-slip mat, a shower seat?
Are there smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors on each level and outside the bedroom? Remember that smoke alarms should be replaced every ten years and CO alarms every seven years.
Test the smoke alarms (including hard-wired ones). Are they working, and just as importantly, can everyone in the home hear the alarms? Basic smoke alarms may be difficult to hear because of their high pitched sound. If your ‘grand’ can’t hear the alarm from the next room, consider a Strobe Alarm which uses an extra bright light, or a Shaker Alarm that uses a vibrating device to shake a bed to awaken someone who wouldn’t hear the alarm without hearing aids.
Try this tip from our 2020 Rogoff Scholarship winner: Add a reminder to family members’ calendars to regularly change each alarm’s battery.
When was the last time the furnace and chimney were checked or cleaned? You may need to call to schedule a service or cleaning.
Lauren Ritchie
of Lancaster NY, the first winner of the Arlayne & Stephen D. Rogoff
Scholarship, learned to prevent injuries through a very personal experience:
caring for her beloved grandmother.
The Rogoff Scholarship application requires
an essay outlining the candidate’s personal experience with a preventable
injury or in-home danger and their plans to generate awareness or educate
others on such risks. In her essay, Ritchie wrote of her close relationship
with her grandmother, “my first true friend.” When a near-fatal infection and multiple
surgeries left her grandmother needing assistance, prone to falls, and
vulnerable to injuries in her own home, “She became more dependent on me and
our roles were reversed.”
The steps that Ritchie
and her family took to protect her grandmother make a good checklist for
anyone: They reviewed her home for tripping hazards and removed them, placed night lights, and
bought grab bars, non-slip mat, and a shower seat for the bathroom. They installed smoke detectors and carbon
monoxide detectors in
main areas and the bedroom, and, crucially, put reminders in family member’s
calendars to regularly change each detector’s battery.
With these
devices and prevention measures in place, Ritchie wrote, “I began to see her
life return to normal again.” Now 91, her grandmother continues to live
independently.
Ritchie plans
to continue to spread awareness of preventable injuries as a Physician
Assistant specializing in gerontology.
The Arlayne & Stephen D. Rogoff
Scholarship was established by their children — Scott, Brett and Robyn — along with their families and the Prevention 1st
Board of Directors. Mr.
Rogoff was a tremendous friend to Prevention 1st,
and co-founded the organization’s first major fund raiser, a Golf Tournament in
2013. The $1,000 scholarships are awarded to recipients who best demonstrate
Stephen’s empathetic and actionable character. For more information contact info@prevention1st.og.
