SALEM KSU students, Red Cross make elderly homes safe

The home safety program will expand in 2004.
SALEM -- North Columbiana County American Red Cross and Kent State University Salem Campus nursing students are helping senior citizens make their homes safe to prevent injuries.
Ginger Grilli, Red Cross executive director, said the Red Cross volunteers and KSU nursing students are offering the Safe Homes program, aimed at ridding senior citizens' homes of hazards that can result in dangerous accidents.
She said the Red Cross volunteers and nursing students will conduct a home inspection with the homeowner, including a room-by-room safety checklist. The volunteers will perform a safety device inspection and do maintenance or repair if necessary and if possible.
She said unintentional injuries are the seventh leading cause of death among older adults in the United States. About 23,000 deaths from unintentional injuries occur in the home annually. These injuries include falls, fires, burns, poisonings, and motor vehicle crashes.
Grilli said falls are the leading cause of unintentional injury for those ages 65 and older. Two-thirds to one-half of these falls occur in or around the home.
Home injuries
She said research shows after chronic illnesses like heart disease, diabetes and cancer, unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death in people over 55.
More importantly, most of these injuries don't cause death but do have a negative effect on quality of life, Grilli said. Recuperation can be slow and painful -- often permanently impairing one's ability to perform activities of daily life.
Columbiana County residents 55 and older can benefit from the home injury prevention program, but the program targets those 65 and older, Grilli said, adding that 16,000 residents in Columbiana County qualify.
Through the Safe Homes program, the Red Cross and nursing students are conducting free safety risk assessments during November for seniors in the Salem area. Important elements of this program include education and skill-building to increase knowledge about risk factors and home modifications.
The program will expand to other areas in 2004, Grilli said.
For more information about the Safe Homes program, call the Red Cross at (330) 332-0028 or e-mail RedCross@SalemOhio.com.