10 ways to prevent injuries in your home

Sometimes, chronic pain can result from a small, seemingly insignificant injury. A broken bone can perhaps not heal properly, a soft tissue injury could result in complex regional pain syndrome, what used to be called RSD. You can read about how such an injury resulted in a lifetime of chronic pain to a ballet dancer: Company’s calling: For Grace’s founder, Cynthia Toussaint speaks out.

So, that being said, in order to prevent as many injuries in the house as possible, especially for seniors or people who have less mobility than others, here are 10 important tips to help prevent falls:

1. Throw out your scatter rugs. They may look nice, but they are a menace. I almost broke my arm wiping out on one of those. If you feel you must have scatter rugs, under no circumstances, put them near the tops of stairs.
2. Ensure that carpet edges are taped down. It is so easy to trip over the edge of a carpet that has curled up.
3. Makes sure all power cords and extension cords are completely out of the way of traffic.
4. Don’t try to go down stairs in the dark. Put night lights in the hallway if possible.
5. If you have runners on the stairs, be sure they are fastened down well.
6. Don’t leave clutter on the stairs. Many people like to leave things on the side of the stairs to remember to bring them up. These are tripping hazards.
7. Ensure all stairs have well-secured handrails.
8. Wipe up all spills as they happen, to avoid slipping.
9. Ensure you have good treads on your house shoes or slippers.
10. If you need to climb to reach something, use a sturdy stepladder, not a chair or stool.

Do you have anything to add to the list? Please share your in-home safety tips. I’ll gather up the comments – giving you credit – and make a new post.

Stay tuned for other safety tips for outside.

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