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 AFTER 83-year-old Austin Pereira slipped in the bathroom and hit his head on a sink last year, his wife decided that it was time to take action.
She retrofitted the bathroom with railings, bought non-slip mats and rearranged the furniture to ensure Mr Pereira’s ease of mobility around their home in Opera Estate in Siglap.
Housewife Joan Pereira-Grosse, 75, said: “It got me thinking that I had better take some precautions to prevent future accidents.”
Accidents at home are a growing concern, especially given Singapore’s ageing population.
Changi General Hospital (CGH) revealed that cases involving the elderly – those aged 65 and above – make up about 70 per cent of the home-accident cases handled by its accident and emergency (A&E) department on a daily basis, up from 50 per cent two years ago.
Concerned about the rising number of seniors involved in home accidents, CGH yesterday launched the Patient Safety exhibition to offer tips on home safety.
Medical professionals my paper spoke to said the most common types of accidents involving the elderly are falls. These result in broken bones, head trauma or even death, said Dr Mohan Tiru, CGH chief of the A&E department.
He added that two elderly patients had just died after falling at home on Wednesday.
Associate Professor Low Cheng Ooi, chairman of CGH’s medical board, said that when it comes to home accidents involving the elderly, prevention is the best medicine as “the pain the patient goes through and the medical costs they have to bear” can be heavy.
It was a traumatic experience for Madam Linda Lim’s family when her 63-year-old mother sustained hip fractures two years ago. She had fallen while trying to get to the toilet at night.
The 40-year-old teacher said: “My mother has osteoporosis and her bones are already fragile. After the fall, she had problems with mobility. It took her about six months before she could walk again.”
She still needs a walking stick to get around.
Such cases are common and Prof Low suggested installing nightlights to help the elderly, many of whom suffer impaired vision, see better.
Ms Leila Narson, a senior principal occupational therapist at Singapore General Hospital, advised seniors and their caregivers to assess their home environment, from its layout to the flooring and lighting.
Some measures for improving the environment include installing non-slip tiles or chemically treated floors that are less slippery when they come into contact with water or soapy liquids.
Mrs Pereira-Grosse has installed non-slip parquet flooring to ensure her husband’s safety.
Happy with her home’s retrofitting, she said: “It’s much easier for my husband to move around. This year, he hasn’t had any more falls at home.”
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