Making your home safer

The following is courtesy of Home Helpers of Lake Norman & Central NC.  
Visit our website at www.homehelpers.cc/lkn58445 , or call us at 704.909.7958 .
   Did you know that you are more likely to be injured in your home than most any other place?  Statistically speaking, at home injuries out rank more dangerous activities such as driving your car or flying!  
  Knowing this, the following web site should be of interest: 
   www.ageinplace.org
 While the focus of this particular article is on making the home safer for seniors, the tips and advice they offer are valid for anyone.  Take a moment to review the article and look for items that are familiar to your home, particularly if you are living with senior family members.  Then consider how you can improve the issue.
  Who knows, the person you end up protecting could be yourself!

Some Facts About Stroke

The following is courtesy of Home Helpers of Lake Norman & Central NC.  
Visit our website at www.homehelpers.cc/lkn58445 , or call us at 704.909.7958 .

 Each year, about 780,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke.  Stroke is a source of serious, long-term disability, and the severity of a stroke influences both the possibility of returning home afterward and how much supportive personal care is needed.  Persons living alone—the majority of whom are women—are at greatest need for personal caregiving services. 

 The following are some findings from studies on returning home after a stroke:

• Compared to 16% of men, 45% of women over the age of 70 with with post stroke impairment are living live alone.
• Women with impaired ability receive less informal caregiving assistance from family members than do similarly impaired men.
• As a result, women who have experienced a stroke are at greater risk of having unmet personal care needs, whether or not they live with a spouse and/or children.
• Personal caregiving services can assist with more complex tasks, like meal preparation and light housekeeping, that patients who have experienced a mild stroke can find difficult.
• In the home, caregivers can also provide help as needed with bathing, dressing, and other personal care assistance.

 After a stroke—even a mild one—a loved one can find it difficult to complete normal daily activities, such as bathing, dressing, meal preparation, and housekeeping. Caregivers can make it possible for them to return home sooner and provider support until functional recovery is complete.