The program also suggests taking time getting out of chairs and keeping clear pathways in their homes. It is also recommended seniors see an eye doctor once a year and use night lights. Nonslip mats and grab bars can make bathrooms safer. Older adults have decreased physical capabilities, making tasks such as cooking more difficult and dangerous. To avoid fires, the program recommends that seniors use large, deep ashtrays if they smoke and give space heaters lots of room.
Seniors can be safer in the kitchen by wearing tight-fitting or rolled up sleeves when cooking.
If clothes catch on fire, stop, drop to the ground, cover your face with your hands and roll over. Seniors should test their smoke alarms once a month by pushing the test button. They should plan and practice their escape from fire and know their emergency number. Sarah Olson of the CDC's home and leisure injury prevention unit says one out of every three people over age 65 will fall each year, with the most serious injury being hip fractures. By age 90, one out of every three people will have suffered a hip fracture, she said.