When handling raw meat, poultry, or fish, cover any cuts or open sores on the hands with a plastic sealing bandage or plastic gloves. A number of emergency response devices help ensure that an older person who lives alone will get needed help when an emergency arises, whether it's an inability to get out of the tub or a heart attack. These small devices, available at local hospitals, are worn around the neck. The wearer simply pushes a button and is connected to an experienced operator. This operator, who has access to the caller's medical history and numbers of people to contact in an emergency, summons help.
Some senior citizens require home care to live comfortably and safely.
When friends and family are unable to provide that help, professionals can often meet those needs, which vary considerably from person to person. A man or woman severely disabled by arthritis, for example, can hire a part-time homemaker to shop and clean. Meals on Wheels, a service available in most communities, can provide hot meals. Someone recovering from a stroke or other illness may temporarily need physical, occupational or speech therapy as well as a home health aide to assist with personal care. The mainstays of home care are nurses, homemakers or health aides, social workers, therapists, and physicians.