Building & Home Safety Hazards & Accident Prevention for Elderly or Disabled People
InspectAPedia® -
Home safety checklist & home safety for older occupants
Home safety advice for the disabled and for veterans
Definition of Aging In Place systems and support for the elderly
Sources of home monitoring systems for the elderly
Sources of medication reminder and prescription refill services for the elderly
Sources of inspectors for home safety inspections
Sources of financing for home safety and accessibility improvements
Questions & answers about home safety hazards of particular concern to senior citizens, the elderly, and people with disabilities
This article explains special home safety concerns for the elderly and for disabled people, offering suggestions for safety inspections and for obtaining financial aid to perform necessary home safety or home accessibility improvements.
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Home Safety Checklist & Financial Aid for the Elderly and for Disabled Veterans
The author's mother, at age 91, fell down carpeted stairs in her home in Boca Raton, Florida. Injuries from falls can be very serious, even fatal to more fragile elderly people.
At 2AM mom decided to carry an armload of clothes downstairs to her washing machine. Wearing open-heeled slippers with smooth soles, carrying an armload of laundry with both arms full, and stepping down stairs that were poorly designed with narrow treads and thick soft nosed carpeting, she lost a slipper and fell.
Mom's injuries included three broken ribs, an elbow so severely broken that an elbow replacement was required, and multiple lacerations to her head. After lying unconscious for some undetermined time Mom crawled to a telephone and asked a neighbor for help. Major surgery, rehabilitation, round-the-clock nursing care, and a long, slow recovery were in store. (Photo above-left, modified for privacy, shows an elderly homeowner with her home health care aide after a stair fall injury).
The stairs and our long standing debate of their dangerous nature had been a recurrent debate between an independent-minded mother and son, to no avail. Obviously, being aware of their dangerous nature was not enough.
The author's neighbor, at age 85, made a wrong turn in an upstairs hallway after using the bathroom late at night. Dr. S. fell down stairs to a landing, narrowly-missing a fatal fall through a window located at the landing, and while he recovered, his injuries were so severe, both mental and physical, that he had difficulty walking and rarely left his home again until his death years later.
Falls like these are so severe that they can materially affect the length and quality of life for the elderly. Yet the hazards involved could be easily spotted by an experienced home inspector or home safety inspector.
Priority of Safety Concerns in Homes for the Elderly
While every unsafe condition at a building should be corrected as soon as possible after it is discovered (see Safety Inspections below), below we list some of the highest priority safety concerns that should be checked. This list is an OPINION based on field experience and literature review. CONTACT us to suggest changes or additions.
Safe steps, stairs, handrailings, and guardrailings. Falls are perhaps the most common source of injury in the home, especially among the elderly. Missing, loose, or hard-to-grasp handrails, thick carpet on steps (use non-skid surfaces), uneven step riser heights, too-small stair tread depth or width, damaged stair tread nose, are examples of common problems. See STAIRS, RAILINGS, LANDINGS, RAMPS for our article series.
Lighting, provided over stairs, including properly located control switches at both stair top and stair bottom
Smoke detectors, installed at proper locations, tested, working
CO - carbon monoxide detectors, installed at proper locations, tested, working, especially where gas-fired appliances are installed
Safe means of egress in emergency such as fire, including readily accessible exit stairs, doors, and exit doorway platform, stairs, railings. For elderly or disabled people who are themselves mobile, safe egress must include doors that have handles that allow easy operation and that can actually be opened by the individual.
Scalding hazards: set hot water temperatures to 120 DegF or lower.
Trip/fall hazards: others, such as loose carpets, loose furniture that an individual may use for support, throw rugs, torn carpets, even small uneven surfaces or door thresholds, slippery surfaces, exposed extension cords.
Emergency contact numbers, posted in a visible location by telephones
Also see
Home Safety Check-List, Harford County Government, Harford County Maryland, http://www.harfordcountymd.gov/services/aging/HomeSafety.html
Housing Safety Checklist for Older People, Sara D. Kirby, Extension Housing Specialist, North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, North Carolina A&T State University Cooperative Extension
Special Home Safety Inspections for the Elderly or Disabled
In a home safety article "Making Home a Safer Place, Affordably" by Lesley Alderman and appearing in the New York Times (July 2009), Alderman provided some excellent home safety inspection and home safety improvement financing suggestions that we summarize here:
Occupational therapist: hire an occupational therapist (an O.T.) to inspect and suggest modifications to the home to meet the specific needs of its elderly or disabled occupants. O.T.'s will consider safety and ease of movement concerns that are not addressed by a home inspector, such as height of chairs and sinks, and grasp-ability of handles.
AARP, the American Association of Retired People, assisted by the NAHB (National Association of Home Builders) provides a home safety checklist
Building & Building System Inspecting, Testing, & Consultant Referral Directories:
Building noise and sound complaints discusses the impact on the health and well being of the elderly and others who suffer from noise complaints. See details atHEALTH RELATED NOISE COMPLAINTS.
Disabled or Elderly-Use Toilets discusses
using chemical or composting toilets for elderly or disabled people for convenience (close access) or to avoid the effects of medication on septic tank bacteria. Waterless toilets, low-water toilets, and other alternative toilet designs may solve practical problems in providing convenient, sanitary facilities for temporary or even longer term care of elderly, disabled, sick, or injured people. Special care needs to be taken to provide proper toilet height, grab rails, and maintenance.
The Home Safety Council (MySafeHome.net) provides a home safety checklist via visual tour
Housing Safety Checklist for Older People, Sara D. Kirby, Extension Housing Specialist, North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, North Carolina A&T State University Cooperative Extension, 04/04 [Distributed in furtherance of the acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914.] Web Search 02/27/2011, original source: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/fcs/pdfs/FCS-461.pdf. This home safety checklist contains a longer list of items that should be examined and corrected as needed; it does not set priorites of attention. - Ed.
Professional home inspectors can provide an economical survey that addresses home safety and more broadly, a home inspector can identify and help prioritize repairs necessary to preserve the building as well as to keep it functioning safely.
These building professionals will consider indirect safety hazards and latent safety hazards affecting all building occupants and that are usually unfamiliar to other safety consultants who may not be building experts. Examples include safe venting of heating appliances (carbon monoxide hazards), unsafe electrical wiring (aluminum wiring, FPE and some other electrical panel brands such as Zinsco, improper electrical wiring and shock hazards), unsanitary or unsafe septic systems, unsanitary drinking water, as well as improperly designed steps, stairs, and rails (stair safety checklist).
Special Safety Improvement Financial Aid & Insurance Protection for the Elderly or Disabled
Long-term care insurance: the author's mom paid premiums for years for long term care insurance to help assure that she would be able to remain in her home should she become disabled. But guarding her privacy and independence with fierce determination, Mom had made it extremely difficult for her children, coming to her aid after her fall and injury, to determine if she had kept such a policy in force much less what kinds of care it covered.
Durable power of attorney (DPOA): sometimes the elderly, particularly those living distant from close family, are victimized by local contractors who combine providing over-priced services (a Boca Raton electrician charged our Mom thousands of dollars for changing a few light bulbs). Be sure that your elderly parent or disabled family member has designated a responsible family member or a reliable local attorney, one who has the client's best interest at heart, and one who will, if it is not a family member, will readily communicate with family members when their parent or other person requires assistance. Our mom's attorney kept his role as holder of her DPOA a secret from family members, making care arrangements for our mother particularly difficult when she was injured.
Guardianship services may be needed to protect elderly or other individuals. Consult your state health or elder care services departments for advice as guardianship laws and requirements vary by state or province.
In some states trained, certified professional guardians may also be available.
California Guardianship Laws and Information - see
http://sandiegoestatecenter.com/california-probate
/what-is-a-guardianship-california-guardianships-in-san-diego-probate-court/
Florida Guardianship Law and Information, 2007 - see http://www.flcourts18.org/PDF/gurardianship_rev1-07.pdf
New York Guardianship Laws - see http://www.courts.state.ny.us/courthelp/forms.html
National Guardianship Association, Inc., 174 Crestview Drive, Bellefonte, PA 16823, Tel: 877-326-5992, Fax: 814-355-2452
Email: info@guardianship.org - see http://www.guardianship.org/
Sources of money: financial aid for home safety improvements:
Department of the aging: most communities have a local department of aging or elderly who can offer advice and possibly financial assistance for the elderly who need home safety improvements. The department may function at a city, county, or state level. Check with your local building department or health department if you are having trouble finding an agency in your area, or try the federal government's elder care locator at www.eldercare.gov or call 1-800-677-1116.
Home equity loans, or a reverse mortgage may be suitable for some elderly homeowners who need funds to make their home more safe or accessible. Check with the bank holding the present home mortgage as well as with other local banks.
Home repair charitable associations such as Christmas in April USA (community specific, for example this Maryland association) or Rebuilding Together (also sponsors a Christmas in April program) offer home repair services, sometimes at no cost to the homeowner.
Veterans Administration Benefits: financial aid for disabled veterans, can provide special equipment needed in the home for vets who qualify (1-877-222-8387). The VA also has a home loans program as well as grants for home improvements and structural alterations needed by veterans.
Safety & Emergency Monitoring Systems for the Elderly or Disabled - Aging in Place
BeClose Systems provides a definition of "Aging in Place" as follows: [Quoting]
What is Aging in place?
Aging in place is the ability to live in one's own home for as long as confidently and comfortably possible, without having to uproot oneself or move into some form of an assisted living facility. For many aging seniors, this can mean the difference between enjoying their lives in dignity on their own terms, and feeling forced to a lifestyle change that can be upsetting and disorienting.
Aging in place has grown in popularity in recent years and is celebrated by the National Aging in Place Week and the National Aging in Place Council, which promote the positive outcomes of seniors having a choice in their care and living arrangements.
Aging in place often requires that families of aging seniors install design adjustments that can ease movement throughout the home, or provide assistance to aging seniors living alone. BeClose is one such technological innovation. Its unique system of discreet, easy-to-install, wireless sensors are placed throughout the home and communicate with a base station unit which, in turn, transmits the information from those sensors to a secure online center at BeClose.com. Their caregivers can log on to monitor the activity and daily routines of their loved ones or choose to receive alerts to their email or mobile devices if irregular behavior patterns are detected.
This simple solution offers independence for seniors who are eager to remain in their homes, and peace of mind for caregivers who want to know about changes in the patterns of their loved ones, but are not living with them day in and out.
Monitoring Systems Support Aging-in-Place Programs for the Elderly
A wide variety of monitoring and safety notification systems for the elderly and disabled are offered to the public. And in August 2010 the New York Times reported on developing sensor and monitoring technologies that help children (or others) monitor aging parents (or others).
The Times article raised the important issue of privacy, quoting experts and suggesting that the decision for telemonitoring of anyone should be decided by the person being monitored, and should be negotiated as between co-equals. "If it’s not an agreement with the parent, it can be a very destructive thing."
For people who are comfortable being closely watched in their home, a family of sensors and telemonitoring devices, systems, and services can provide continuous and very detailed information such as indicators that the monitored person has:
Arisen from bed
Taken blood pressure, pulse, or other basic medical status indicators
Opened and shut a medicine cabinet - presumably to take medications?
Opened and shut a refrigerator - presumably to have eaten
Opened or shut windows and doors
Examples of elder-monitoring services listed by the Times article (and others we have found) include the following: Warning: we have not evaluated these services for cost, effectiveness, courtesy, privacy issues, nor other features.
AARP American Association of Retired People, has advice about using elder monitoring systems and also provides a reprint of the NY Times article discussed here.
Aware Home, research initiative, Georgia Tech University, experimental house instrumented with monitors. Web search 08/03/2010 original source: http://awarehome.imtc.gatech.edu/about-us The Aware Home Research Initiative at Georgia Institute of Technology is devoted to the multidisciplinary exploration of emerging technologies and services based in the home. Starting in 1998, our collection of faculty and students has created a unique research facility that allows us to simulate and evaluate user experiences with off-the-shelf and state-of-the-art technologies. With specific expertise in health, education, entertainment and usable security, we are able to apply our research to problems of significant social and economic impact.
BeClose all-wireless monitoring system, BeClose, 8150 Leesburg Pike, Suite 1401, Vienna, VA 22182,
Phone: 866-574-1784, Fax: 703-651-3090, Email: info@BeClose.com, Website: http://beclose.com/ . "All-wireless" means that the BeClose monitoring system can be installed without running wires through the home. BeClose uses wireless sensors to gather information about what's going on in the home. Our sensors give you much more information than a video camera can - they tell you exactly when Mom got out of bed or Dad went out for his walk, and you can see the information in real time on a website wherever you are. Then you can set up alerts to call or text you if something is out of the ordinary, so you can customize it exactly to fit your needs.
General Electric Co. - range of monitoring systems, sensors, General Electric Company, 3135 Easton Turnpike Fairfield CT 06828,Phone: +1 (203) 373-2211, Fax: +1 (203) 373-3131
GE website: http://www.ge.com/index.html Quiet Care: Home Health Monitoring Fact Sheet from GE - Document (PDF), web-search 08/03/2010 original source:
http://www.genewscenter.com/Resource-Library/Home-Health-Monitoring-Fact-Sheet-7c0.aspx Home health monitoring holds the potential to help seniors live independently longer and in better health, and to
reduce the long-term costs of care.
Activity and behavioral monitoring, also known as telecare, uses wireless sensor-based systems and software to
passively track the daily activity patterns of seniors, alerting care givers to potential problems, while at the same time
maintaining privacy and enabling as great a degree of independence as possible.
GrandCare, GrandCare Systems LLC - 2412 West Washington - West Bend, WI 53095 (262)-338-6147. The GrandCare system allows families to place movement sensors throughout a house.
Example monitoring system installation and monitoring costs: $8,000. installation + $75./month.
Website: http://www.grandcare.com/ Quoting: GrandCare Systems ... combine aspects of smart home technology, internet communications, and telewellness in one flexible, user friendly, and affordable package.
The system
consists of a central unit, which is very similar to a TiVo box, connected to a TV or monitor, and a source of internet, either wired or wireless. The system will then provide a continuous display of news, weather, pictures, email, reminders etc. to the loved one's TV. At the same time, the unit listens to a wide range of wireless sensors, which monitor activities of daily living and wellness.
The system can then be accessed via the internet by remote family or professional caregivers to assess the wellness and safety of the loved one. The system can be instructed to send an email, text message, or phone call to the caregivers if something is amiss, say the temperature in the house falls below a certain level. The caregivers can also use the web interface to send pictures, email, reminders to the loved one's TV.
iReminder provides healthcare messaging and medication reminder support. iReminder.com, Westfield, N.J. 1-877-326-3293
Privacy note: iReminder’s Technology is HIPAA compliant. Quoting: iReminder is a healthcare technology focused on improving medication adherence and persistence. Its products are: Compliance for Life™ for appointment and dosing reminders, Persistent RefillsSM for refill reminders, Global e-TrialsSM for patient recruitment and retention in clinical trials, and MedTriggerSM for virtual coaching.
All are patient-centric, personalized and flexible. Reminders and messages are delivered by phone, email and/or SMS text, according to the patient's preferences, in the U.S. and internationally in any language and alphabet. Messages are recorded by native speakers and all written communications (email and SMS text) display in the patient’s preferred language. Patients do not need any special equipment to receive messages.
MedMinder medication management system, MedMinder, 716 Beacon St, Suite 590218, Newton, MA 02459,
Phone: 1-888-MED-MIND (1-888-633-6463), Fax: 1-888-647-8595, Email: info@medminder.com, Website: https://www.medminder.com
MedMinder provides patient reminders to take medication, remote monitoring, and medication refill support. Quoting: Maya is equipped with wireless technology that updates MedMinder's central computer about the patient's dosage activity. This information is available, over the web, for caregivers who can also receive immediate email or text messages notifications and weekly reports.
You or your caregiver can easily program Maya and customize preferences remotely via the Internet. You can also call MedMinder and we will do this for you. At the patient's home, there is no need for a computer, phone line, wireless router or any other form of Internet access.
QuietCare sensor monitoring systems track ADL (activities of daily living, such as getting out of bed, safe navigation of the bathroom, eating, taking medications, overall activity, sleep quality. Also see General Electric. Tel: 866-216-4600, email: contact@quietcaresystems.com. Website: https://www.quietcaresystems.com or Website for the UK: http://www.quietcaresystems.co.uk/index_alt.htm .
Quoting: QuietCare functions as a 24 hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week early detection and early warning system that lets caregivers and family members know that a loved one is safe. It recognizes emerging problems before they become emergencies.
The system utilizes small, unobtrusive, strategically-placed wireless sensors to monitor the senior in their own home. It is virtually invisible. No video camera or audio intrudes on the seniors' lives.
Small, wireless motion sensors are strategically placed in key areas, including the senior's bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and meal prep and/or medication areas.
Each sensor transmits information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week about the senior's daily living activities to a book-sized base station.
The base station gathers this information and regularly transmits it to QuietCare's computers, using existing telephone lines.
Changes in the senior's activities are analyzed so caregivers can be alerted to problems by call center professionals, or via e-mail, cell phone, text message or pager, or by checking a password-protected web site
Selfhelp Selfhelp Community Services, Inc., 520 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10018, 866.735.1234, Website: http://www.selfhelp.net/
SelfHelp is a social services company helps seniors use technology to live independently. Selfhelp provides on-site social services (New York) and senior centers. Quoting: Our progressive social services, innovative aging-in-place solutions and cutting edge client centered technologies ensure that you will be independent, safe and secure.
Senior Source, our comprehensive and personal private care management program, gives you access to the full range of Selfhelp’s services. Senior Source can enable you to manage your immediate senior care needs and plan for your future today.
Thanks to Senior Source, you’ll have a Care Concierge offering you access to outstanding services and affordable solutions for your later years.
Selfhelp’s commitment to secure independent living for seniors is evident in our six, award-winning housing complexes serving more than 1,000 low and moderate-income seniors. Our six senior centers provide programs that enrich the lives of over 6,000 older New Yorkers and our four Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs) offer residents extensive on-site care services.
Costs: Some of our services are free, some are covered by insurance, Medicaid or Medicare, some require for a small contribution and some are paid privately by the client. In all cases, our professional and caring staff members work with you to navigate the complex and often daunting maze of governmental, legal and financial regulations surrounding benefits and entitlements. Our goal is to ensure that you receive the services you need and the benefits to which you are entitled.
Watch out: the same Times article reports that even where intensive monitoring systems are installed, people rarely check in on the monitoring indicators' status more than once a day. OPINION-DF: systems that are able to detect that something is wrong and initiate an emergency notification to close-by responders may be valuable.
Questions & Answers regarding this article
Questions & answers about home safety hazards of particular concern to senior citizens, the elderly, and people with disabilities.
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"Technologies Help Adult Children Monitor Aging Parents," Hilary Stout, Hilary Stout, New York Times, July 28, 2010, The New York Times, online edition web search: 1 August 2010 . This article is re-printed at the AARP website
AARP American Association of Retired People, provides
reprint of the Times article above:
http://www.aarp.org/home-garden/home-improvement/news-07-2010/technologies_help_adult_children_monitor_aging_parents.html
Aware Home, research initiative, Georgia Tech University, experimental house instrumented with monitors. Web search 08/03/2010 original source: http://awarehome.imtc.gatech.edu/about-us The Aware Home Research Initiative at Georgia Institute of Technology is devoted to the multidisciplinary exploration of emerging technologies and services based in the home. Starting in 1998, our collection of faculty and students has created a unique research facility that allows us to simulate and evaluate user experiences with off-the-shelf and state-of-the-art technologies. With specific expertise in health, education, entertainment and usable security, we are able to apply our research to problems of significant social and economic impact.
BeClose all-wireless monitoring system, BeClose, 8150 Leesburg Pike, Suite 1401, Vienna, VA 22182,
Phone: 866-574-1784, Fax: 703-651-3090, Email: info@BeClose.com, Website: http://beclose.com/ . "All-wireless" means that the BeClose monitoring system can be installed without running wires through the home. BeClose uses wireless sensors to gather information about what's going on in the home. Our sensors give you much more information than a video camera can - they tell you exactly when Mom got out of bed or Dad went out for his walk, and you can see the information in real time on a website wherever you are. Then you can set up alerts to call or text you if something is out of the ordinary, so you can customize it exactly to fit your needs.
General Electric Co. - range of monitoring systems, sensors, General Electric Company, 3135 Easton Turnpike Fairfield CT 06828,Phone: +1 (203) 373-2211, Fax: +1 (203) 373-3131
GE website: http://www.ge.com/index.html Quiet Care: Home Health Monitoring Fact Sheet from GE - Document (PDF), web-search 08/03/2010 original source:
http://www.genewscenter.com/Resource-Library/Home-Health-Monitoring-Fact-Sheet-7c0.aspx Home health monitoring holds the potential to help seniors live independently longer and in better health, and to
reduce the long-term costs of care.
Activity and behavioral monitoring, also known as telecare, uses wireless sensor-based systems and software to
passively track the daily activity patterns of seniors, alerting care givers to potential problems, while at the same time
maintaining privacy and enabling as great a degree of independence as possible.
GrandCare, GrandCare Systems LLC - 2412 West Washington - West Bend, WI 53095 (262)-338-6147. The GrandCare system allows families to place movement sensors throughout a house.
Example monitoring system installation and monitoring costs: $8,000. installation + $75./month.
Website: http://www.grandcare.com/ Quoting: Using a combination of remote environmental sensing, passive physiological sensing, artificial intelligence, and networking technologies, Grandcare Systems allows the caregiver to remotely and passively monitor a loved-one without compromising dignity or privacy. This reduces caregiver stress by providing peace of mind all around.
GrandCare recognizes the importance of an active body, mind & soul by simultaneously addressing the loneliness and social isolation associated with aging. Family can easily stay connected by virtually sending communications to the loved one’s TV or TouchScreen.
Housing Safety Checklist for Older People, Sara D. Kirby, Extension Housing Specialist, North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, North Carolina A&T State University Cooperative Extension, 04/04 [Distributed in furtherance of the acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914.] Web Search 02/27/2011, original source: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/fcs/pdfs/FCS-461.pdf
iReminder provides healthcare messaging and medication reminder support. iReminder.com, Westfield, N.J. 1-877-326-3293
Privacy note: iReminder’s Technology is HIPAA compliant.
Quoting: iReminder is a healthcare technology focused on improving medication adherence and persistence. Its products are: Compliance for Life™ for appointment and dosing reminders, Persistent RefillsSM for refill reminders, Global e-TrialsSM for patient recruitment and retention in clinical trials, and MedTriggerSM for virtual coaching.
All are patient-centric, personalized and flexible. Reminders and messages are delivered by phone, email and/or SMS text, according to the patient's preferences, in the U.S. and internationally in any language and alphabet. Messages are recorded by native speakers and all written communications (email and SMS text) display in the patient’s preferred language. Patients do not need any special equipment to receive messages.
MedMinder medication management system, MedMinder, 716 Beacon St, Suite 590218, Newton, MA 02459,
Phone: 1-888-MED-MIND (1-888-633-6463), Fax: 1-888-647-8595, Email: info@medminder.com, Website: https://www.medminder.com
MedMinder provides patient reminders to take medication, remote monitoring, and medication refill support. Quoting: Maya is equipped with wireless technology that updates MedMinder's central computer about the patient's dosage activity. This information is available, over the web, for caregivers who can also receive immediate email or text messages notifications and weekly reports.
You or your caregiver can easily program Maya and customize preferences remotely via the Internet. You can also call MedMinder and we will do this for you. At the patient's home, there is no need for a computer, phone line, wireless router or any other form of Internet access.
QuietCare sensor monitoring systems track ADL (activities of daily living, such as getting out of bed, safe navigation of the bathroom, eating, taking medications, overall activity, sleep quality. Also see General Electric. Tel: 866-216-4600, email: contact@quietcaresystems.com. Website: https://www.quietcaresystems.com or Website for the UK: http://www.quietcaresystems.co.uk/index_alt.htm .
Quoting: QuietCare functions as a 24 hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week early detection and early warning system that lets caregivers and family members know that a loved one is safe. It recognizes emerging problems before they become emergencies.
The system utilizes small, unobtrusive, strategically-placed wireless sensors to monitor the senior in their own home. It is virtually invisible. No video camera or audio intrudes on the seniors' lives.
Small, wireless motion sensors are strategically placed in key areas, including the senior's bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and meal prep and/or medication areas.
Each sensor transmits information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week about the senior's daily living activities to a book-sized base station.
The base station gathers this information and regularly transmits it to QuietCare's computers, using existing telephone lines.
Changes in the senior's activities are analyzed so caregivers can be alerted to problems by call center professionals, or via e-mail, cell phone, text message or pager, or by checking a password-protected web site
Selfhelp Selfhelp Community Services, Inc., 520 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10018, 866.735.1234, Website: http://www.selfhelp.net/
SelfHelp is a social services company helps seniors use technology to live independently. Selfhelp provides on-site social services (New York) and senior centers. Quoting: Our progressive social services, innovative aging-in-place solutions and cutting edge client centered technologies ensure that you will be independent, safe and secure.
Senior Source, our comprehensive and personal private care management program, gives you access to the full range of Selfhelp’s services. Senior Source can enable you to manage your immediate senior care needs and plan for your future today.
Thanks to Senior Source, you’ll have a Care Concierge offering you access to outstanding services and affordable solutions for your later years.
Selfhelp’s commitment to secure independent living for seniors is evident in our six, award-winning housing complexes serving more than 1,000 low and moderate-income seniors. Our six senior centers provide programs that enrich the lives of over 6,000 older New Yorkers and our four Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs) offer residents extensive on-site care services.
Costs: Some of our services are free, some are covered by insurance, Medicaid or Medicare, some require for a small contribution and some are paid privately by the client. In all cases, our professional and caring staff members work with you to navigate the complex and often daunting maze of governmental, legal and financial regulations surrounding benefits and entitlements. Our goal is to ensure that you receive the services you need and the benefits to which you are entitled.
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 2010, $69.00 U.S., is available from Carson Dunlop. The Home Reference Book is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. InspectAPedia.com ® author/editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume.
"The Elimination of Unsafe Guardrails, a Progress Report," Elliott O. Stephenson, Building Standards, March-April 1993
"Are Functional Handrails Within Our Grasp" Jake Pauls, Building Standards, January-February 1991
Access Ramp building codes:
UBC 1003.3.4.3
BOCA 1016.3
ADA 4.8.2
IBC 1010.2
Access Ramp Standards:
ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), Public Law 101-336. 7/26/90 is very often cited by other sources for good design of stairs and ramps etc. even where disabled individuals are not the design target.
ANSI A117.4 Accessible and Usable buildings and Facilities (earlier version was incorporated into the ADA)
ASTM F 1637, Standard Practice for Safe Walking Surfaces, (Similar to the above standards)
American Plywood Association, APA, "Portland Manufacturing Company, No. 1, a series of monographs on the history of plywood manufacturing",Plywood Pioneers Association, 31 March, 1967, www.apawood.org
Animal Allergens: Dog, Cat, and Other Animal Dander - Cleanup & Prevention Information for Asthmatics and regarding Indoor Air Quality.
Asbestos: How to find and recognize asbestos in buildings - visual inspection methods, list of common asbestos-containing materials
Asbestos products and their history and use in various building materials such as asphalt and vinyl flooring includes discussion which draws on Asbestos, Its Industrial Applications, D.V. Rosato, engineering consultant, Newton, MA, Reinhold Publishing, 1959 Library of Congress Catalog Card No.: 59-12535 (out of print).
Asbestos Identification and Testing References
Asbestos Identification, Walter C.McCrone, McCrone Research Institute, Chicago, IL.1987 ISBN 0-904962-11-3. Dr. McCrone literally "wrote the book" on asbestos identification procedures which formed
the basis for current work by asbestos identification laboratories.
Stanton, .F., et al., National Bureau of Standards Special Publication 506: 143-151
Pott, F., Staub-Reinhalf Luft 38, 486-490 (1978) cited by McCrone
Brick Nogging, Historical Investigation and Contemporary Repair, Construction Specifier, April 2006. Historical use of brick in timber-framed buildings, drawing on the investigations of the Kent Tavern in Calais, VT.
"Brick nogging is a European method of construction which was brought to the new world in the early-nineteenth century. It was a common construction method that employed masonry as infill between the vertical uprights of wood framing." -- quoting the web article review.
Building Research Council, BRC, nee Small Homes Council, SHC, School of Architecture, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, brc.arch.uiuc.edu. "The Small Homes Council (our original name) was organized in 1944 during the war at the request of the President of the University of Illinois to consider the role of the university in meeting the demand for housing in the United States. Soldiers would be coming home after the war and would be needing good low-cost housing. ... In 1993, the Council became part of the School of Architecture, and since then has been known as the School of Architecture-Building Research Council. ... The Council's researchers answered many critical questions that would affect the quality of the nation's housing stock.
How could homes be designed and built more efficiently?
What kinds of construction and production techniques worked well and which did not?
How did people use different kinds of spaces in their homes?
What roles did community planning, zoning, and interior design play in how neighborhoods worked
"An Example of Colonial Paneling", Norman Morrison Isham, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, Vol. 6, No. 5 (May, 1911), pp. 112-116, available by JSTOR.
Dust from the World Trade Center collapse following the 9/11/01 attack: the lower floors of this building contained spray-on fire-proofing asbestos materials.
"Energy Savers: Whole-House Supply Ventilation Systems [copy on file as /interiors/Energy_Savers_Whole-House_Supply_Vent.pdf ] - ", U.S. Department of Energy energysavers.gov/your_home/insulation_airsealing/index.cfm/mytopic=11880?print
"Energy Savers: Whole-House Exhaust Ventilation Systems [copy on file as /interiors/Energy_Savers_Whole-House_Exhaust.pdf ] - ", U.S. Department of Energy energysavers.gov/your_home/insulation_airsealing/index.cfm/mytopic=11870
"Energy Savers: Ventilation [copy on file as /interiors/Energy_Savers_Ventilation.pdf ] - ", U.S. Department of Energy
"Energy Savers: Natural Ventilation [copy on file as /interiors/Energy_Savers_Natural_Ventilation.pdf ] - ", U.S. Department of Energy
"Energy Savers: Energy Recovery Ventilation Systems [copy on file as /interiors/Energy_Savers_Energy_Recovery_Venting.pdf ] - ", U.S. Department of Energy energysavers.gov/your_home/insulation_airsealing/index.cfm/mytopic=11900
"Energy Savers: Detecting Air Leaks [copy on file as /interiors/Energy_Savers_Detect_Air_Leaks.pdf ] - ", U.S. Department of Energy
"Energy Savers: Air Sealing [copy on file as /interiors/Energy_Savers_Air_Sealing_1.pdf ] - ", U.S. Department of Energy
Falls and Related Injuries: Slips, Trips, Missteps, and Their Consequences, Lawyers & Judges Publishing, (June 2002), ISBN-10: 0913875430 ISBN-13: 978-0913875438 "Falls in the home and public places are the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths in the United States, but are overlooked in most literature. This book is unique in that it is entirely devoted to falls. Of use to primary care physicians, nurses, insurance adjusters, architects, writers of building codes, attorneys, or anyone who cares for the elderly, this book will tell you how, why, and when people will likely fall, what most likely will be injured, and how such injuries come about. "
Fiberglass: Indoor Air Quality Investigations: Health Concerns About Airborne Fiberglass: Fiberglass in Indoor Air from HVAC ducts, and Building Insulation
Humidity: What indoor humidity should we maintain in order to avoid a mold problem?
Lighting, proper use of: proper aiming of a good flashlight can disclose hard to see but toxic light or white mold colonies on walls.
Pergo AB, division of Perstorp AB, is a Swedish manufacturer or modern laminate flooring products. Information about the U.S. company can be found at http://www.pergo.com where we obtained historical data used in our discussion of the age of flooring materials in buildings.
Piquet Wall Construction: See this photo of
piquet wall construction - involving timber-framed wall construction with long top girts, diagonal timber bracing, and small diameter logs
placed vertically along with concrete chinking to fill in the wall plane.
Plank House Construction: weblog from plankhouse.wordpress.com/2009/01/25/plank-house-construction/ and where plank houses were built by native Americans, see
Large 1:6 Scale Plank House Construction / P8094228,
Photographer: Mike Meuser
06/12/2007 documented at yurokplankhouse.com where scale model Museum quality Yurok Plank Houses are being sold to raise money for the Blue Creek - Ah Pah Traditional Yurok Village project.
Re-Bath, tub lining products is a bath tub relining manufacturer and distributor located in Tempe, Arizona - see rebath.com
Rubblestone Wall Filler: See this Lartigue House using exterior-exposed rubblestone filler between vertical timbers of a post and beam-framed Canadian building.
Slips, Trips, Missteps and Their Consequences, Second Edition, Gary M. Bakken, H. Harvey Cohen,A. S. Hyde, Jon R. Abele, ISBN-13: 978-1-933264-01-1 or
ISBN 10: 1-933264-01-2,
available from the publisher, Lawyers ^ Judges Publishing Company,Inc., www.lawyersandjudges.com sales@lawyersandjudges.com and also from the InspectAPedia Bookstore (Amazon.com)
The Stairway Manufacturers' Association, (877) 500-5759, provides a pictorial guide to the stair and railing portion of the International Residential Code. [copy on file as http://www.stairways.org/pdf/2006%20Stair%20IRC%20SCREEN.pdf ] -
How to Clean Moldy Wood Framing & Sheathing How to clean/seal mold from/on exposed lumber or plywood subfloor or roof sheathing indoors - some suggestions based on our field and laboratory research
Lighting, proper use of: proper aiming of a good flashlight can disclose hard to see but toxic light or white mold colonies on walls.
Manufactured & Modular Homes: Modular Building Systems Association, MBSA, modularhousing.com, is a trade association promoting and providing links to contact modular builders in North America. Also see the Manufactured Home Owners Association, MHOAA, at www.mhoaa.us. The Manufactured Home Owners Association of America is a National Organization dedicated to the protection of the rights of all people living in Manufactured Housing in the United States.
Stuff that is not mold but is often mistaken for it - things you may not want to test. Also, not all "black mold" is toxic - here are examples of harmless black mold.
Mold-Resistant Building Practices, advice from an expert on how to prevent mold after a building flood and how to prevent mold growth in buildings by selection of building materials and by anti-mold construction details.
Slips, Trips, Missteps and Their Consequences, Gary M. Bakken, H. Harvey Cohen, Jon R. Abele, Alvin S. Hyde, Cindy A. LaRue, Lawyers and Judges Publishing; ISBN-10: 1933264012 ISBN-13: 978-1933264011
Slips, Trips, Missteps and Their Consequences, Second Edition, Gary M. Bakken, H. Harvey Cohen,A. S. Hyde, Jon R. Abele, ISBN-13: 978-1-933264-01-1 or ISBN 10: 1-933264-01-2, available from the publisher, Lawyers & Judges Publishing Company,Inc., www.lawyersandjudges.com sales@lawyersandjudges.com and also from the InspectAPedia Bookstore (Amazon.com)
Steps and Stairways, Cleo Baldon & Ib Melchior, Rizzoli, 1989.
"The Dimensions of Stairs", J. M. Fitch et al., Scientific American, October 1974.
"The Elimination of Unsafe Guardrails, a Progress Report," Elliott O. Stephenson, Building Standards, March-April 1993
"Are Functional Handrails Within Our Grasp" Jake Pauls, Building Standards, January-February 1991
"Weather-Resistive Barriers [copy on file as /interiors/Weather_Resistant_Barriers_DOE.pdf ] - ", how to select and install housewrap and other types of weather resistive barriers, U.S. DOE
Weaver: Beaver Board and Upson Board:
Beaver Board and Upson Board: History and Conservation of Early Wallboard, Shelby Weaver,
APT Bulletin, Vol. 28, No. 2/3 (1997), pp. 71-78, Association for Preservation Technology International (APT), available online at JSTOR.
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