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Cover image of Living Safely, Aging Well
Cover image of Living Safely, Aging Well
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Living Safely, Aging Well

A Guide to Preventing Injuries at Home

Dorothy A. Drago, M.P.H.

Publication Date
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Older adults can stay healthy longer by avoiding injury at home.

As we age, our sense of balance and our vision, hearing, and cognition become less sharp. Aging-related changes greatly increase our risk of injury. In Living Safely, Aging Well, nationally recognized safety expert Dorothy A. Drago spells out how to prevent injury while cooking, gardening, sleeping, driving—and just walking around the house.

In the first part of the book, Drago describes the causes of injuries by type—falls, burns, poisoning, and asphyxia—and explains how to decrease the risk of each. She then explores the home...

Older adults can stay healthy longer by avoiding injury at home.

As we age, our sense of balance and our vision, hearing, and cognition become less sharp. Aging-related changes greatly increase our risk of injury. In Living Safely, Aging Well, nationally recognized safety expert Dorothy A. Drago spells out how to prevent injury while cooking, gardening, sleeping, driving—and just walking around the house.

In the first part of the book, Drago describes the causes of injuries by type—falls, burns, poisoning, and asphyxia—and explains how to decrease the risk of each. She then explores the home environment room by room, pointing out potential hazards and explaining how to avoid them, for example, by installing night lights, eliminating glass coffee tables, and using baby monitors. Lively line drawings make it easy for readers to visualize risks and implement prevention techniques. Living Safely, Aging Well pays special attention to hazards encountered by people with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. A chapter devoted to health literacy helps people and caregivers make the best use of the medical care system and a chapter on driving helps evaluate when it is no longer safe to be behind the wheel.

Reviews

Reviews

This is a wonderful resource for anyone thinking about how to increase the safety of the home to allow for independence as people live longer.

I think anyone who's over the age of 50 needs this book on their shelf. If you're concerned about safety for a loved one or want to maintain independence yourself, Living Safely, Aging Well will give you the steps you need.

An excellent guide that describes the types of injuries that commonly happen at home, and how to prevent them... This is a top reference for any who would live well.

Presented in an easy-to-read format appropriate as a resource for the healthcare professionals as well as a caregiver and the general population.

This book may change your life. It can save you and your loved ones from life-altering injury or even death. In graceful prose, Drago addresses the threats that abound in and near our homes. Understanding strategies to prevent falls, the need to keep older drivers mobile but safe, medication safety, and how to interact with health providers will help keep you free from injury. This slim volume is one you will read with interest and keep handy in your home.

About

Book Details

Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
6.125
x
9.25
Pages
216
ISBN
9781421411514
Illustration Description
28 b&w illus.
Table of Contents

1. What's "Old" Got to Do with It?
2. Don't Fall!
3. Too Hot and Too Cold
4. Poisoning
5. Preventing Asphyxia
6. When Driving Is Dangerous
7. The Backyard and the Workshop
8. All around the House
9. Seeing

1. What's "Old" Got to Do with It?
2. Don't Fall!
3. Too Hot and Too Cold
4. Poisoning
5. Preventing Asphyxia
6. When Driving Is Dangerous
7. The Backyard and the Workshop
8. All around the House
9. Seeing the Doctor
Appendix A: Injury Statistics for People 65 and Older
Appendix B: Agencies and Organizationsthat Can Help
References
Index

Author Bio
Dorothy A. Drago
Featured Contributor

Dorothy A. Drago, M.A., M.P.H.

Dorothy A. Drago, M.P.H., has thirty years of experience in the field of safety, having worked at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission for nearly ten years and as a private safety consultant for the last twenty years, with a focus on infants and children. She actively and voluntarily participates in the development of safety standards that involve consumer products, especially those...