Accuinspect Home Inspections Newsletter

We Want Our Seniors to Stay in their Homes,
But Are We Keeping Their Homes Safe?
We remember Walt Disney as the wonderful man who made us smile. He was on TV welcoming and entertaining our families on Sunday nights. He was creator of some of the happiest places on earth. Yet, he was haunted with the burden that the home he and his brother, Roy bought for their parents killed his mother and almost killed his father. Neal Gabler, in his book 'Walt Disney', relays the story of the home the Disney brothers bought for their parents. One of the features that sold them on that home was a wonderful "modern furnace." As soon as their parents moved into the home, the furnace began to malfunction. Walt sent a maintenance person from his studio to repair the furnace but the repairs were not properly made.   Soon after, Flora, his mother died in that home from carbon monoxide poisoning.

There are programs to help seniors and others in need ................to visit the doctor and bring them food. We send in visiting nurses ......We help seniors to stay in their homes ....but what are we doing to make sure that their homes are safe? The Center for Disease Control states that home hazards are one of senior's most significant health risks. There is no better program to fund than keeping people safe within the confines of their home. We are the leading nation of the world dedicated to home ownership.

As senior citizens age or become ill, it becomes more difficult to keep up with the demands of home ownership. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning can be confused with the flu. Electrical hazards, frayed wires, bad extension cords or unsanitary plumbing conditions are ignored. Walt Disney's mother died from carbon monoxide in a home her sons bought for her. They never got over it. Would you?

Calling a contractor to repair or remodel an area is not a safety check. Specialized contractors almost never look at safety hazards in the entire home. The electrical contractor does not "see" the sewer or roof leak. Walt Disney's repair man didn't look past the question of "did the furnace turn on." Some contractors even defraud our seniors with bad, inappropriate or unneeded repairs.

Let me mention Louie, my father-in-law. He was the sweetest man you would want to meet. After he retired, he fixed things for people. My in-laws lived in their own home in a senior community in Florida. That is a long way from Pittsburgh PA, where we live, but it also away from snow and ice which is what mattered to them. Louie was the person who made the coffee in the community building at 6:00 AM. He fixed roof leaks, broken outlets, and loose steps. Name it, he fixed it. Then the Alzheimer's got worse and that is one thing he could not fix. We were surprised when he asked us to come down and fix things in their home. There were several outlets with the wires hanging out of the boxes. The paddle fan over the bed was "sort of" hanging on one side. I couldn't tell you why it didn't fall on them one of the nights they were in bed and the fan was running. We fixed a lot of things that week. That was the first we knew about their driving their car through their neighbor's yards and their getting lost while walking on the road they had lived on for decades. We did not know this was happening. The phone calls and previous short visits seemed normal. We soon moved them back to Pittsburgh.

Louie taught us something very important. Our seniors need their homes checked for safety. The ironic thing is that most homes get inspected and repairs made when the home is sold. Think of it. The seniors live with unsafe conditions. Sometimes they result in injury, sometimes it diminishes their health. Roof or basement leaks can cause the mold that affects the lungs and the resident gets pneumonia and that event leads to congestive heart failure. The loose rail results in the broken hip that is the injury that keeps the resident from returning to their home. Repairs will happen before a new owner takes over a home. Let's identify the needs and have them fixed while it can improve the life of our seniors, not after they are gone.

We are not alone in this experience of aging parents. More adult children live away from their parents and do not realize the conditions of their parent's homes. Even if they do, they do not have the time or knowledge to correct the home safety hazards their loved ones are living with.

The Senior Home Safety Checkup Program is the answer. This is a checkup that addresses the needs of our seniors and other "staying in place" individuals. Additional information about the Home Safety Program is online at www.HomeSafetyCheckups.com. There are also other populations now living in their homes that previously were forced to live in institutions or group homes that will be served by this program.
Seniors Home Safety Network