As our loved ones age, there are many precautions we need to take to make sure they are safe at home. Home safety risks can be easy to miss, or even forget about, when you’re dealing with a stack of other responsibilities – like making sure your Mom gets to her doctor appointment, tracking her progress, figuring out if she needs extra care – often, the last thing we think about is taking out loose carpet to prevent falls or putting a handrail in the shower.

Home safety, though, must be considered, especially as our loved ones get older and may become more forgetful. Home safety risks include everything from slipping on a wet floor to starting an accidental house fire – so they’re certainly nothing to mess with.

On today’s episode, we’ll be focusing specifically on kitchen safety. Oftentimes, the kitchen is the center of activity in a household – from cooking to eating to using the kitchen table for various projects or game nights. The kitchen poses serious risk if precautions are not taken, though, so today we’ll dive into how you can make sure your loved one’s kitchen is as safe as can be.

Today’s episode is part of a new series we’re doing on All Home Care Matters – quick tips. These shorter episodes will provide you with some fast advice for those days when you don’t have a lot of time but could use some helpful information. We hope you get a lot of out them in just a little time. Let’s get right to it.

Why is kitchen safety specifically so important? Let’s let the numbers speak for themselves. According to The National Fire Protection Association, 3 in 10 home fires begin in the kitchen – which is a higher number than any other room in the house. Further, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, adults over 65 have 2.7 times the risk of dying in a kitchen fire than younger people.

Fire isn’t the only worry, however. There’s also a high risk of experiencing gas poisoning (or worse) from leaving the stove on, slipping on recent spills or newly mopped tile, falling when reaching something from a high cabinet, cutting skin on sharp knives, and burning skin on a hot stovetop. As warm and welcoming as the heart of a household can be, it also comes with its dangers.

Kitchen safety precautions are especially important for dementia patients – who might forget to turn off a stove or even that they’ve put food in the oven. We always recommend that dementia patients have assistance in the kitchen – and when they’re alone, to keep the oven and stove unplugged.

Other fire-safety tips include purchasing electric tea kettles and coffee machines with automatic-turn off features. These appliances will turn off on their own – before becoming too hot – so you won’t have to worry about the coffee pot starting a fire. Remove loose dish towels that hang on or near the stove and make sure no curtains are hanging too close to the stove, either. Keep ventilation systems cleaned on a regular basis – dirty ventilation systems are one of the most common causes for kitchen fires. At the same time, make sure the smoke detectors are tested at least monthly and there’s an easy-to-operate fire extinguisher nearby.

You should also speak with your loved one about fire safety. Make sure they do not wear loose clothing when they cook and that they know to set a kitchen timer to remind them that something is on the stovetop.

When it comes to knife safety, let’s begin with the groceries. Purchase pre-cut vegetables and meat when you can, so that you eliminate the need for knives whenever possible. When a knife is needed, make sure that it’s not sharp enough to cause serious damage, but is sharp enough to get food chopped. It’s always better to have someone else do the cutting – particularly if your loved one is suffering with Parkinson’s, severe arthritis, or other problems that may cause them to tremor and slip up while cutting. Store the knives and other sharp objects in a safe place where they will not fall or be mistakenly picked up by the blade-end out of a drawer.

When it comes to fall prevention, start by putting any essential or commonly used items in low down cabinetss, drawers, and pantries. There is no reason that an older adult should be standing on a step stool every day to reach her cooking equipment. Heavy items especially should be stored down below, to eliminate a risk of dropping the item from above. In the upper cabinets, store any items that are rarely used or only used by caregivers or other family members.

Place a non-skid mat in front of the sink to prevent slipping on a wet floor and make sure that any spills are cleaned up right away. If possible, clean the kitchen for your loved one after they are asleep, so the floor is dry by the time they wake up in the morning. If they are living alone and handling the cleaning by themselves, remind them to wear non-slip shoes when mopping the floor and to avoid the kitchen altogether for a few hours afterward.

Install motion sensor lights in the kitchen so that your loved one can see when getting a glass of water at night or on a rainy day. If possible, you can even install extra lighting over the stove and oven to help your loved one see even better while they cook.

When it comes to burn prevention, make sure oven mitts are placed in an easy-to-see spot where your loved one won’t forget to use them. You can also put a note near the stove (but far enough to prevent fire risk) reminding your loved one to use an oven mitt and potholder.

Finally, make sure that all dishes used on a regular basis are unbreakable, to help avoid and prevents cuts from broken glass. Make sure the refrigerator is nice and cool, so food doesn’t spoil. Along those lines, it is common for expired food to pile up in a senior’s home if they are experiencing memory problems or mobility issues that prevent them from cleaning out the fridge. Avoid the risk of consuming expired food by checking regularly.

We hope those kitchen safety quick tips helped you understand why the kitchen is a risky place for seniors – and how you can keep it as safe as possible, so they don’t have to stop spending time in a room they love.

Every episode of All Home Care Matters has resources and information that you can find in our show notes or by visiting our website for more information. Make sure you check out the sources we used for this episode for a kitchen-safety checklist.

We want to thank you for joining us here at All Home Care Matters, All Home Care Matters is here for you and to help families as they navigate long-term care issues. Please visit us at allhomecarematters.com there is a private secure fillable form there where you can give us feedback, show ideas, or if you have questions. Every form is read and responded to. If you know someone is who could benefit from this episode, please share it with them.

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Sources:

 

https://www.fivestarseniorliving.com/blog-post/kitchen-safety-checklist-for-older-adults-and-their-family-caregivers (includes a checklist)

 

https://www.assistinghands.com/51/florida/miamibeach/blog/kitchen-safety-tips-for-your-senior-loved-ones/

 

https://www.24hrcares.com/kitchen-safety-for-seniors/