Sunday, October 31, 2010

The What If of Home Safety

When I first saw the injuries and death statistics attributed to household falls in the USA I was shocked. I knew that falls were the leading cause of injuries in the home but I had no idea that they were this high. Every year at least 20 million people are killed or injured due to falls at home.

As the population ages this number is going to go up unless we; especially adult children are actively involved. Take a look next time when you are at your parents home. Have a look at your own home too. Think the worst when viewing the inside and outside of the home...think what if, what if?

As we get older we tend to shuffle more much like waking up on a Monday morning and taking those first few steps. This 'shuffling' decreases the vertical distance between the front of our toes and objects in their path. What was unconsciously stepped over before is now tripped over.

As I mention on my website the Home Safety Council has a great educational video on making a home safer.

You matter - Be Safe.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Walking at night

Whatever happened to wear something white at night; a phrase many of us are familiar with from our school days. It seems that dark colours remain prevalent. I was driving on a country road a few days ago at night. I came around a blind corner and there 20 feet in front of me were two horses, two riders and two dogs. The horses were dark chestnut mares, the riders wore gray and black while the two black labs...well... they are black labs. It strikes me that at times smart people think that the responsibility for their safety lies with someone else.

Have a look at 
http://blogs.dogster.com/living-with-dogs/reflections-on-safety-for-the-nighttime-dog-walk/2010/10/

Be Safe! 

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Dogs and Pickup Trucks

I was reading an article in an Arizona paper the other day about the large number of dogs that are killed when a pickup has an accident and the dogs are in back of the truck. The Humane Society claims 100,000, a staggering number, are killed annually riding in the back of a pickup. The injuries to dogs would be on top of that number. This has long been an accepted practice but some states have banned the practice. I suggest it is about time.