“But I just left for a minute!”
Isn’t this is what Mom says when she leaves the room with a stove that’s still turned on?
USFA (the U.S. Fire Administration) reports the United States sustained over one million home fires in 2013 causing 3,000 deaths and 16,000 injuries. Forgotten or unattended cooking is the leading cause of all home fires, (1) and it happens to all ages – from kids learning to cook to seniors. As a specialist in Aging in Place, I focus on our elderly population due to my personal experience with my grandmother. She feared getting burned on her stove.
The good news is the alternatives now available. Read on to see how to protect yourself, and your loved ones, from unnecessary injury and stress using design and technology.
Best of all, it doesn’t require a major change, or a huge dent in your wallet!
Why Fire And Burn Protection Are The Saviors Of Independence.
For many, the cost of assisted living is prohibitive. The cost of personal dignity is beyond calculation. Case in point – my grandmother. If you read “Why Grandma Doesn’t Visit Anymore”, you’ll recall how she expressed her fear of going to a “nursing home to be left to die.”
She wasn’t alone. According to AARP, 86% of all Americans over age 45 want to stay in their current residences as long as possible. (2) Home safety makes it possible. According to the American Burn Association:
- Our sensory perceptions…sight, hearing, and touch… diminish with age.
- Since our skin becomes thinner, every burn, even a superficial one, goes deeper.
- Slowing mobility can delay our reaction to a burn or fire, increasing our chances of more serious injuries.
It’s why a proactive approach significantly drops the possibility of a crisis situation. It’s as simple as a stove top with knobs placed in front, or using an IGuard stove that connects to the internet, even if residents don’t have a computer!
No Protection in Your Kitchen Leads to Hidden Consequences.
Earlier I mentioned the cost of assisted living. Yet, too often we forget the cost of losing one’s dignity. Here’s what happens when seniors become afraid of their ranges:
- The knobs are harder to reach and control.
- Reaching beyond the burners makes them more susceptible to burns.
- The fear of burns leads to less enthusiasm about cooking anything at all.
- Not cooking leads to fewer hot, and possibly less nutritious meals.
- The lack of nutrition increases susceptibility to illness and injury.
- The inability to prepare meals the way they prefer can lead to depression.
You see where I’m going with this? Don’t let it happen to your mother, or any of your loved ones!
Simple Changes Pave the Way to HUGE Rewards.
Almost every major appliance company offers front-range controls. Kenmore, GE, Maytag, just to name a few, have styles with the knobs in front. Not having to reach across burners saves the kind of burns that worried my grandmother.
But it doesn’t solve every problem, like accidentally bumping a burner on. It’s why I’m so excited about a new technology, a device by IGuard. Actually, it’s an automatic shut-off accessory that works with the stove you already have. The features are too numerous for this article; but along with shutting off a stove that’s unattended, it can be used as a monitor to see how often a stove is unattended. For more information, see the website address at the bottom.
Keeping one’s dignity is a person’s most valuable asset. Having personal dignity leads to cost savings by extending our seniors’ independence. When they feel happy and live where they choose, their lives are richer, giving them more time with their loved ones. These are the people I want to protect.
P.S. By the way, if you do contact IGuard, do me a favor and tell them Jeanette sent you!
Live richly,
~Jeanette
(1) http://iguardfire.com/category/blog/
(2) Living in Place Institute
(3) IGuardFire.com
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