By Laura Hipshire
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE
Before moving to Henry Ford Village with his wife Carol from Troy, Mich., Robert Davis was admiring the new roof on his house when he almost fell off. Luckily, he escaped the fall. Now, maintenance crews take care of any roofing issues so the couple doesn’t worry about such “near tragedies.”
“You’re a lot less likely to have an accident here,” Davis says of his new home at Henry Ford Village. But not everyone is as fortunate. According to the National Safety Council (NSC), more than 50% of all injury-related deaths and 75% of all disabling injuries occur in our houses. Have you taken a moment lately to survey your house for potential risks? If not, perhaps you should.
Is your house fall-proof?
Do you currently climb up and down flights of stairs, lugging laundry and other cargo day after day in your current house?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that among older adults, falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths. In 2003, more than 13,000 Americans 65 years and older died as a result of falls, and more than 1.8 million had a fall injury that resulted in an emergency room visit.
Davis says he and his wife feel much safer at their new home because the community has incorporated fall-proof safety measures, and every apartment home features the safety and convenience of single-floor living. People who live there can do everything from banking to shopping to going to the hair salon by walking or taking a short elevator ride outside their homes—they never have to worry about tripping on or falling down stairs.
Is your house structurally sound?
When surveying your house, you will also want to consider the year it was built—if it was built before 1960, you may have some structural problems.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, “Almost 50% of homes owned by older adults were built prior to 1960, and 6% of these homes have structural problems.”
Davis says he’s glad his roof was the last thing he had to fix on a house—ever.