Keeping Seniors Safe at Home this Winter

Winters can be the hardest time of year for seniors still living at home. It is harder to go out with the cold weather, poor road conditions and even just walking to and from their vehicle can be hazardous in slippery conditions.

So how can you help the seniors in your life be safer, and more comfortable throughout this winter season?

Staying Warm

Prior to winter have the furnace or heating system inspected by a technician to hopefully ensure there are no unexpected surprises or failures during the bitterly cold months.

Install a temperature alarm system that will contact YOU or a neighbor in the event of a temperature emergency within the home. Any FreezeAlarm device that will alert you in the event of an emergency  will work in this situation. You can set the alarm point at a temperature of your choosing, then if the temperature falls below that point you, a neighbor, family member etc. will be alerted allowing you to respond accordingly.

Add a WiFi remote thermostat such as the Venstar. This allows the user to EASILY monitor the home temperatures and, with the Venstar thermostat also monitor the heating systems run times, efficiencies, etc..

Preventing common, and potentially fatal, issues for seniors still living at home.

Unattended cooking fires are a primary cause of all residential fires in North America. Most fires start in the kitchen, and are due to unattended, or forgotten items on the stove top, or in the stove. Our CookStop is a fire prevention device that works by detecting when a kitchen has been empty for a programmable amount of time. If the time passes and no one has entered the cooking area power to the stove or cook stop is instantly cutoff, turning off the heat and potentially preventing a catastrophe.

With the combustion of any fuel source for heat, comes the production of the odorless, tasteless, silent killer, carbon monoxide (CO). Many states and provinces have now legislated into law the requirement of CO detectors, along with smoke detectors but that only works if the resident hears the alarm (which some seniors may not). Connecting the CO alarm to a device like the Sensaphone 400 (which can also double as a temperature alarm) will allow family, friends etc. to be alerted in the event that the CO levels in a home rise to or exceed a dangerous level.