Part of the Thriving at Home approach that we follow at Assisting Hands is making the house as safe as it can be. Preparing for and preventing house fires is critical for seniors who wish to continue living in their homes.

The CBC recently reported (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/modern-homes-burn-8-times-faster-than-50-years-ago-1.1700063) that house fires today burn much hotter and faster than they did 50 years ago. Modern building and furniture materials also produce much more smoke than they used to. This means that if a fire breaks out, you have less than two minutes to evacuate. That may be difficult or impossible for someone with mobility issues.

Our Thriving at Home inspection process includes locating a fire extinguisher and recommending the purchase of one if absent. Stopping a fire while still small is the best strategy, so we encourage everyone to learn to use a fire extinguisher properly. Practice the PASS method, shown below, so that you can effectively combat a fire should one ever start in your home.