Fire Prevention Strategies With Senior Citizens Research (Research Paper Sample)

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Fire Prevention strategies with senior citizens
The population of senior adults is rapidly increasing; in 2000, the population of older adults of age 65 and older in the state of Colorado only was 416,073. This number has grown, and based on the U.S. Census Bureau report of 2005, it is expected to increase to approximately 956,278 by the year 2030. The growth of senior adults’ population brings about the fear of survival because fire protection facilities find it hard to meet the demands of the growing population. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the senior citizens are more at risk of fires as equated to the general population. As an individual age, there fire risks grow. The U.S Fire Administration/National Fire Data Center study indicates that the senior adults suffer from diminished abilities such as touch, smell, vision, and hearing (1). These impairments often reduce their reactions and put them at a greater risk of starting fires which interns places them a higher risk of suffering from fire-related injuries and/or death. Due to these reasons, there is a need to come up with fire prevention strategies that can help reduce any fire-related issues in senior citizen assisted living facilities, senior living apartments, and the senior homes.
Risk Factors for Fire in Senior Citizens Facilities
Assisted Living Facilities.
Assisted living facilities are long-term care facilities for the elderly. They provide several chances and comfort for the residents present. Assisted Living Facilities are always safe, relaxed and better living opportunity for the old in most countries. While most of these facilities undergo thorough fire and building inspections, there are often other unique circumstances that lead to fire breakouts. These fire hazards are mostly related to the intense level of elderly impairment, the design of the facility and the materials and equipment present.
The reduced mental and general health of the residents is the primary cause of fires in many assisted living facilities around the world. According to the U.S Fire Administration/National Fire Data Center study (2), at least 81 percent of the patient present in these facilities require assistance with most of the daily activities. The common medical conditions that most elderly suffer from is mental disorders, senses impairment, and nervous system problems. Approximately 63 percent of the residents require a wheelchair for movement purposes.
The caregiving devices such as the electrical appliances, cooking equipment, and the entertainment system present fire risks too. The compressed gasses that are typically used by the elderly and the flammable liquids used for cleaning and care giving not only escalates the risks of fire breakouts but also they are dangerous both to the residents and the fire brigades in a fire situation.
The architectural design of assisted living facilities together with the usage of wheelchairs and staff and residents’ movement brings about a significant challenge during fire evacuations. Most of the facilities do not have sprinklers because they were constructed using noncombustible materials. Also, some facilities do not have smoke dictators because there are no federal law standards put in place to govern such matters.
Senior Buildings
Licensed residential living for older adults provide a continuous professional care and a twenty-four-hour supervision. The resident receives special care, meals, medication and regular assistance with the daily activities. The data collected regarding the residential apartment and the elderly fire is very diverse, but despite the significant difference, there are quite a number of similarities observed over time. There are some similarities of fires involving the young citizens and the elderly, but there are also significant differences such as the gender, race, and time of day dangerous fires break out.
Based on the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS), thirty-four percent of the people who perished due to residential fires in 2002 fourteen percent of them were the elderly age 65 and above. The records indicated that more men died in residential home fires than women, although more women were injured. The elderly fires occurred during the mid-morning, and the early afternoons, this was most likely because the elderly were at home at these hours of the day while the young adults were away working. Also, more fires occurred during the winter season as compared to the other seasons.
The primary cause of the fires in which an older adult was involved was as a result of smoking, electrical heating, open flames, cooking, and suspicious acts. The highest number of the elderly were in their bedrooms during the period of fire injury and/or death. The majority of the elderly died while trying to escape the fire, sleeping or trying to control a fire.
Senior Homes
Senior homes health cares are also an alternative hospitality for elderly who suffer from impairments and other health related problems. Even though the elderly put in such facilities are often weak, and in need of intensive care, they too pose a noticeable fire risk.
The primary cause of fire in senior home is also associated with the medical conditions of the residents present in these facilities. The most diagnosed illnesses in senior homes healthcare are heart diseases, injuries, and circulatory system diseases. Also, cancer is a major health issue to the majority of the admitted residents. Most of the elderly put in this facilities require constant attention and Just like the assisted living facility, 74 percent of the elderly receive assistance in most of their daily activities such as moving around, food preparation, housework, and financial related business.
Senior homes are at higher risks of fire breakouts because unlike the assisted living facilities; there are no enforceable regulations on storage and maintenance of compressed gasses, flammable liquids, and the electrical devices. The design of the facility also plays a key role in reducing on increasing the fire risks; most of the residents require wheelchairs to commute while other are completely immobile. Such a situation makes it almost impossible to evacuate all the residents in case of a fire breakout. Other issues such as smoking habits which are normally banned in long-term care facilities are harder to regulate in senior homes thus remaining to be a significant risk factor. In addition, most of the senior homes lack proper care and maintenance due to financial difficulties and lack of attention or knowledge.
Discussion
As individuals age, they go through both a cognitive and physical change; this changes can damage people’s ability to respond and prevent fire hazards. Most of the elderly experience mobility difficulties as they age, which impairs their capacity to make a successful escape in case of a fire breakout. Also, many of the older adults are often subjected to prescription medication which has substantial side effects that may lead to substance–induced impairments, such as those brought about by alcohol consumption; substance-impairment can increase the risks of an elderly to be injured or die in a fire accident. When evaluating the fire risks to the elderly it is essential to understand that no particular factor stands alone. In many occasions, both the physical and cognitive impairments are responsible for most fire accidents. An individual might suffer from poor hearing, vision and also be subjected to impairing prescription medication all the same time.
As the life expectancy of people around the world rise, adults above 65 years are expected to live about 18 more years. The more these numbers grow, the more the effects of cognitive and physical impairments thus resulting in higher risks of fire breakouts and fire-related deaths and injuries to the older adults.
Loss of sensory and cognitive abilities in older adults.
As mentioned above weakling of sensory abilities such as touch, sight, smell, and hearing can relatively increase the risks of fire to the senior citizens. When more than a few of these abilities are enfeebled in a person, the fire risks of individual are normally aggravated. The mental changes also institute additional fire risk factors. According to the US Fire Administration/National Fire Data Center; Fire and the Older Adults research, the reduction in mental health is far more dangerous than a decrease in physical condition (13). Individuals who suffer from cognitive mental disorder sometimes forget their environment and do not realize they are in any danger; at times they too can engage in mischievous risky behaviors.
Sense of Smell
An individual’s sense of smell combined with smoke detectors are very instrumental in combatting fire hazards. However, recent studies have identified that the smell sense is not so useful in spotting fires during sleeping hours as compared to waking hours. During waking hours, an individual can quickly identify if either something is burning, a stove is on, any gas leaks in the house or discovers any potential fires around the house. As we grow old, these senses begin to diminish and thus increase fire injury risks.
A study conducted at San Diego University indicated that a significant number of older adults suffer from a weaker sense of smell than the much younger generation. The study also put together the connection between the diminishing feelings of smell and other dwindling abilities such as memory loss and reasoning ability (13). Also, it has been globally recognized that the loss of smell and taste have adverse effects on quality of life of an elderly (14).
Sense of Touch.
The general action of feeling whether equipment is hot or cold can be a way of preventing fire. The simple act...