WASHINGTON, June 8 (UPI) -- Many U.S. children of elderly parents have difficulty discussing critical home safety issues with older adults.
A Home Safety Council survey asked adults currently providing care for a relative, in-law or friend who is 60 years or older and found there is difficulty in communications about home safety.
Forty-nine percent of the caregivers said injury prevention is at least somewhat hard to talk about with the person they care for. Also, of the one in two caregivers who admit there are additional actions that could be taken to make the home of the person they were caring for safer, 26 percent said that they worry about the reaction of the older adult as a primary reason for not taking these actions.
"Each year more than 7,000 older adults die from incidents at home including falls, fires/burns and poisonings, which are almost entirely avoidable with proper education and some simple home modifications," said Dr. Angela Mickalide, director of education and outreach of the home safety council. "While safety can be a sensitive topic as we age, caregivers cannot ignore the fact that a home injury can be a life-altering experience, not only for those injured but for those who care for them."
Many believe that their elder's home provides a safe environment, even though 48 percent also report that the person they care for has been injured within the home.
