Section 1: The Safe Living Guide - A Guide to Home Safety for Seniors – There's no place like home…

There's no place like home—and sometimes it seems like there's no place safer. For seniors, however, the home is where many injuries occur, and most of these are due to falls. Changes that are part of the normal aging process, such as declining vision, hearing, sense of touch or smell and bone density can increase the risk of injury. Injuries can also be more of a problem for seniors because, as the body ages, it takes longer to heal and recover from injury.

You might think that "accidents just happen" and that nothing can really be done to prevent them. Not so. By taking some simple measures, you can considerably reduce your chances of being injured at home. It's a matter of knowing what the potential hazards are, taking precautions and making adjustments. These changes can make a big difference!

This guide provides advice on how to prevent injuries by keeping your home, yourself and your environment as safe as you can. Checklists allow you to verify and increase the safety of your surroundings and lifestyle, and real-life stories offer testimony to the value of adapting.

As the old saying goes: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Inspecting your home and taking action to prevent home injuries can help you to live comfortably and safely for many years to come. We hope you will find this guide to be a practical tool to help you along the way.