Waubonsee Community College

Living safely, aging well, a guide to preventing injuries at home, Dorothy A. Drago, M.P.H

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 187-198) and index

illustrations

index present

non fiction

Living safely, aging well

bibliography

831150585

Dorothy A. Drago, M.P.H

a guide to preventing injuries 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

What's "old" got to do with it? -- Don't fall! -- Too hot and too cold -- Poisoning -- Preventing asphyxia -- When driving is dangerous -- The backyard and the workshop -- All around the house -- Seeing the doctor -- Injury statistics for people 65 and older -- Agencies and organizations that can help