It’s time to focus on fall prevention, medication safety and home safety. June is National Safety Month, an observance sponsored by the National Safety Council. Help raise awareness about home safety and how improving safety measures can help adults age where they want to age: at home.
- Most bone fractures among older adults result from falls. Volunteer to teach a class on fall prevention at your area’s adult day care centers. Find a ready-made class here. Distribute branded promotional items such as nightlights to assist seniors in their fall prevention efforts. Call 866-232-6477 to learn more about the many promotional items available to you.
- Host a senior home safety program at a local church that addresses safety and older adults. Topics can include preventing a home invasion, protecting against scammers who prey on seniors, and making the home less likely to be a location for accidents. Invite your local police, an alarm company representative, and a financial safety expert to participate. Make sure your agency is the expert speaking about fall prevention and home safety. Promote the fact that your agency can come into the home for a free safety evaluation.
- Distribute flyers about home safety and medication safety to the waiting rooms of the offices of general practitioners in your area.
- Visit area senior centers and take along a sample disaster supplies kit. Educate attendees on the importance of such a kit and what should go in one. These kits are essential in case of fire, flood, earthquake, tornado or other disaster. Find a recommended supply list and other information here.
- Lend your agency’s public support to an injury-reducing safety initiative, such as improved lighting in parking areas.
- Partner with a local pharmacist for a medication awareness event at a local library. Educate seniors about medication safety and the need to talk to their pharmacist about all their medications, both prescription and over-the-counter. Visit the website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for information about older adults and drugs. Download, print and distribute to participants the My Medicine Record provided by the FDA.