4 Ways To Protect Your Home And Family
There are many safety hazards in the average home to consider when you set out to protect your home and family. However, they can be mitigated or thwarted with simple, practical steps.
In your quest to create a safe home and reduce a variety of possible risks from causing serious harm, two things to consider are home security and DIY project safety. Additionally, if you have young children, you should consider keeping the pool area safe; and if you have aging family members, consider ways of reducing their chances of slips and falls and ways of getting fast medical assistance should they have a serious health problem when no one else is home.
photo David Peña via pixabay
Let’s take a closer look at each of these four risk factors:
Home Security
When it comes to considering options for home security, you have two essential choices: do it yourself or hire a home security company. Unless you happen to be an expert in the wide range of technological equipment now available to protect the modern home, as well as know how to install everything properly, you would probably be better off investing in a monthly service provided by a professional home security company specializing in providing monitored security. With wireless security, you can control many aspects of your home from your smartphone—for instance, locking doors and windows, viewing a room through a security camera, and switching the lights on or off. And, of course, should the alarm be triggered and the dispatcher confirms that it’s not an accidental, false alarm, then, depending on the severity and type of emergency, he or she will inform local authorities, like the police, fire station, or ambulance service, and possibly the emergency response team, as well.
DIY Project Safety
Most DIY projects are simple jobs that don’t pose much of a threat, like painting a wall, changing a kitchen faucet, or laying down tile in the bathroom; but some can be dangerous, even fatal, particularly those related to the use of power tools or fixing electrical appliances.
With power tools, the main precaution you should take is to be fully alert when using them and not under the effects of any soporific substances like from alcohol, marijuana, or medication.
Electrical problems are not uncommon, and if you elect to fix them yourself, then you should take the following precautions to prevent electrical shocks: shut off the power to the house, test the equipment you’re fixing to see if it still has power, avoid working on capacitors, only use insulated tools, and plug your tools into a GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter).
Securing the Pool Area
If you have young children or pets, the pool area can be particularly hazardous place should they sneak in without any adults present. In fact, the risk of accidental drowning is so great that numerous municipalities have made it illegal for pools above ground not to have any pool fencing. The only exception is if the body of water is less than 18 inches deep.
The least expensive pool fences are those made out of wood or vinyl, while the most popular are those made of steel or aluminum because they are durable and easy to install. In addition, there are mesh fences and glass fences, which not only provide excellent protection but which many homeowners consider the most attractive.
Protecting Seniors
If you have aging family members in your home, you might need handrails in the bathrooms or other places in the house where they could slip and fall because of a wet floor or steep steps.
Medical emergencies like heart attacks, strokes, and other issues are particularly dangerous if a senior is home alone and can’t get to the phone to call for help. This is where medical alert systems come in. Introduced in the 70s, these devices have advanced considerably since the original push-button device connected to a phone line alerted a call-center. Although still a wearable device, they can now also be mounted in various places around the home; and, when these buttons are pressed, it’s possible for a senior to have two-way communication with an operator. Additionally, there are also motion-sensitive pendants that will automatically send an alert should the wearer fall down.
In summary, you can keep your family well and safe at all times by taking simple precautions like installing a home security system, practicing safety when working on DIY projects, installing a pool fence, and protecting seniors with handrails and medical alert systems.
Author: Jimmy Simond
