Tips for Protecting Your Senior from Burns

Each year throughout the United States more than 45,000 people end up hospitalized as a result of burns. Senior adults make up a large percentage of these patients. Burns can be very dangerous for an elderly adult, and those who do not die as a result of the burn itself can be vulnerable to serious infections. As a family caregiver, it is important to be aware of the risks your senior faces and to put steps into place to reduce these risks and protect your parent from the potentially devastating consequences of these risks.

 

Elderly Care in Robertsdale AL: Protecting Seniors from Burns

Elderly Care in Robertsdale AL: Protecting Seniors from Burns

 

Some tips you can use to protect your senior from burns include:

 

-If your senior has difficulties with mobility, physical limitations, or cognitive functioning decline, cooking can be dangerous for them. Be sure they are well-supervised any time there is heat involved.

-Be sure the handle of pots and pans are turned away so they cannot be hit when walking past the stove.

-Consider disconnecting the stove or oven for an elderly adult who has cognitive functioning decline so they do not attempt to cook and then forget.

-Turn down the temperature on the hot water heater to 120 degrees.

-Check the water temperature of the bath or shower with a thermometer before your senior gets in.

-Be sure your senior’s home is properly equipped with smoke detectors in all areas so your senior can be alerted to a fire in their home.

-Practice escape routes out of the home so they can easily get out if there is a fire.

-Avoid wearing loose, baggy, or flowing clothes near the stove, grill, fryer, or other heat-producing kitchen appliance.

-Avoid similar clothing when near an open fire.

-Never leave a candle or fire unattended.

-During times of the year when the weather is hot, avoid contact burns by covering seatbelts with towels when not in the car and test surfaces before letting them touch them.

-Keep chemicals out of reach of your senior so they do not suffer chemical burns.

 

Encouraging your senior to enjoy as much independence as possible as they age in place is one of the most important things you can do as a family caregiver.

Starting home care for your parent could be a fantastic way to do this. While it seems counterintuitive that bringing extra care into their life can help your parent be more independent. The highly customized services of this type of provider can do just that. A care provider offers services specifically designed for your aging loved one that helped them to cope with challenges and limitations in a productive and meaningful way, take on more of their own tasks and care on a regular basis, and enjoy a lifestyle that is more active and engaged in the world around them. This boosts their mental and emotional well-being and creates a more satisfying and enjoyable life as they age in place.

 

If you or someone you know needs Elderly Care in Robertsdale, AL, please contact the friendly caregivers at  Hughes Home Care. We provide quality and affordable care for your elderly loved ones in our community. Call Us Today 251-517-9901.  Serving Mobile & Baldwin County.

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James Hughes