Understanding Home Safety and How to Identify Everyday Hazards

On Monday 21st February Age UK Lambeth provided a half day session andUnderstanding Home Safety and How to Identify Everyday Hazards in and around the home environment. The target audience were those engaging with the older person in both a personal and professional capacity especially those caring for the community.

The morning was packed full of useful information to help keep the older person safe. It was most informative hearing about the latest thinking on what are considered to be the most important risks to avoid and comprised of five sessions looking at the various everyday risks and hazards which the older person faces on a regular basis.

The morning opened with a look at the aging process and how it impacts on keeping safe. Risks within the home environment were explored and discussed.

There then followed presentations from the Police and Trading Standards looking at the number and types of increasing scams currently targeting the general public, the nuisance of cold calling and the sort of hazardous countrfeit products readily available. Sound advice was given as to how best to avoid these horrors.

The London Fire Brigate gave a powerful presentation on the basics of fire safety, the challenges the Brigade faces with a growing hoarding community, the need for working smoke detectors and having a workable fire escape plan.

A medical/first aid trainer discussed the risks associated with over-medicating and covered best practice to avoid burns and scalds and slip, trips and falls which are responsible for the large number of accidental injuries to hospitals.