The kitchen can be a rather dangerous place in the home, particularly for the elderly and disabled. Creating a safe environment where you family can grow and thrive is top priority for both Carers and parents. Thankfully, there is plenty that can be done to help prevent burns, scalds and other accidents. By simply learning about kitchen safety and taking some simple precautions, you can prevent most accidents and injuries.
After reading this guide, you will now be aware of the most common sources of kitchen accidents and you will know what is out there to help minimize this.
How Can You Improve Kitchen Safety for the Elderly?
Let There be Light:
Keeping the kitchen well-lit is important especially for the elderly with vision impairments. It would a great idea if you could install automatic, motion-sensitive night lights. This can only enhance their safety.
Try to avoid any smooth or shiny surfaces in the kitchen. Having them can often result in a glare from both natural or artificial light. This can impair vision and potentially lead to falls. For those with muscular degeneration or cataracts are much more sensitive to glare.
Avoid leaving drawers and cabinet doors open after you use them. They may remain unnoticed by seniors and this can lead to head injuries and falls.
Non-Slip Flooring:
In the kitchen, we deal with a lot of water, steam and grease. This can be a recipe for disaster should it touch the floor. Slips are not uncommon in the kitchen, however, you will be happy to know that they are preventable.
If you have rugs in the kitchen, make sure they are non-slip ones. Of course, if non-slip flooring or mats are not in the budget, you can always get your loved one to wear non-slip socks or shoes.
Keep Sharp Knives Separate & Safe:
We all know where the cutlery is in the kitchen and some of us are even guilty of adding the sharp knives to the general draw. This can be dangerous, the elderly may cut themselves accidently while looking for other options. To avoid these injuries, keep the knives separate and in a safe space. Perhaps a knife rack or separate draw could be of use.
Remove all Unnecessary Appliances:
While there may be an appliance or device to help you cook, bake or make anything you like in the kitchen these days, too many can be dangerous. This is why it’s important to keep the number of gadgets to a minimum.
Keep out what they use the most, like the kettle, toaster, air fryer etc. This will help to make safer and easier in the kitchen.
Daily Living Aids:
In the US today 85-90% of burns and scalds are related to cooking, drinking or serving hot liquids. When pouring boiling water from a kettle, it can cause a serious scald almost instantly. As we age, it can take much longer for our bodies to recover from accidents and injuries. Sadly, some never fully recover, depending on the severity of the injury.
This is why it is important to being daily living aids into the home of the disabled and elderly. It will help make their lives safer, easier and give you peace of mind.
A great daily living aid we have in mind is the Uccello Kettle. It brings you the next level in safe, elegance and effortless assistive technology. It makes handling boiling water safely seem effortless.
Nothing is more important than keeping your family safe. Knowing what to look out for and which precautions to take makes your job as family protector a little easier, but no one can be on duty all the time. That’s where our Uccello Kettle comes in!
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