Skip to main content
ADDITIONAL TIPS & STRATEGIESFOR LIVING WELL

Home Safety & Preparedness

Home Safety

Creating a safe home environment is important to keep you and your family uninjured and healthy. There are many things you can do around your home to create a safe environment for kids, adults, and seniors.

Safewise provides ways to protect your home from many different safety hazards:

  • Falls
    • Clear and stabilize stairways
    • Cover slippery surfaces
    • Install supports in showers and bathtubs
  • Fires
    • Install fire alarms
    • Buy a fire extinguisher
    • Monitor candles
  • Carbon Monoxide
    • Install a CO detector
  • Choking
    • Keep choking hazards out of reach of children
    • Monitor children’s playtime
    • Cut up young children’s food
  • Cuts
    • Store kitchen tools properly
    • Lock up bathroom sharps
    • Put away yard tools
  • Poisoning
    • Store medications properly
    • Secure all chemicals and toxic personal care products
  • Strangling
    • Put away cords
    • Wrap up blind cords
  • Drowning
    • Empty and away buckets
    • Be attentive to bathing children
  • Burns
    • Use the stove’s back burners when young children or vulnerable adults are present

EmergencyPhysicians.org provides a home safety checklist for your home, children, and specific rooms in your home.

Emergency Preparedness

Disasters happen, but what matters is if you and your family are prepared. The CDC has provided information on how to for prepare and respond in an emergency. Topics covered include preparing health-related incidents, sheltering in place, coping with a disaster, what to do in specific types of emergencies, and more.

It is also important to build a kit to use after an emergency strikes. Ready.gov provides list of everything you might need in the event of an emergency as well as information on maintaining and storing an emergency kit.