Holiday Gifts with Love and Safety
Holiday Gifts with Love and Safety
By: Marguerite Oberle Thomas, RN., BScN., Consultant Liaison for the Loop Fall Prevention Community of Practice
Our love and protection are the greatest gifts we can give to those we care about. This holiday season, please consider showing your love by giving gifts that help promote safety and prevent injury. For more fall prevention information for older adults, visit https://parachute.ca/fallprevention. Parachute is Canada’s national charity dedicated to injury prevention.
Gifts for travelling:
- Emergency kit, fire extinguisher and fire blanket for the car
- Car blankets and extra warm clothing such as mitts and toques
- Cellular phone
- Taxi vouchers
- Non-alcoholic beverages for holiday celebrations away from home
- Subscription to travel protection plan
- Extra night lights or flashlights for when staying at hotels or bedrooms away from home
Gifts to help prevent falls:
- Cordless telephones
- Personal protection alarms – for both at home and for when out and about
- Grab bars for the bathtub and toilet and an offer to hire a qualified contractor to install them
- Small laundry baskets which avoid awkwardness and overbalance
- Non-alcoholic beverages for holiday celebrations at home
- Specialty safety items from your pharmacy or therapy retailer (such as a hand gripper for reaching high places)
- Assessments for assistive devices ranging from canes to wheelchairs
- A pill dispenser from your pharmacy and a medication record book
- Boots with a good grip on the soles – Check out Rate My Treads for the best information on non-slip winter footwear
- Gift cards for winter footwear retailers Check out Rate My Treads for the best information on non-slip winter footwear
- Warm outer clothing
- Housecoats short enough to prevent tripping
- Firm slippers with a non-slip sole
- Nightlights in home bathrooms and bedrooms
- Bags of salt/sand mixture, kitty litter or special de-icer for the entrance sidewalk
You can also help by offering to:
- Paint a contrasting colour strip on the edges of stairs that are all one colour
- Replace or install safe railings on stairs
- Shovel snow or arrange for someone else to do it
- Do household chores that require lifting, reaching or using the stairs or a ladder
- Do, or have someone else do a home safety assessment
- Accompany the person for a medication assessment with a pharmacist or physician
- Create a list of emergency phone numbers in large print and have it laminated
Items that protect everyone in the home include:
- Smoke detectors or batteries for the smoke detector
- Carbon monoxide monitors
- Fire extinguishers
- Safety items for the stove, fireplace or barbecue, including oven mitts
- Safe and sturdy step stools or ladders
- Renovation of unsafe stairs, railings or any other hazards in the home
- Replacement or repair of any wobbly furniture
- A large canvas bag to put on the stairway so items won’t be left loose to trip over
- Bath mats or adhesives to avoid slipping in the tub
- Floor mats with safe backing for outside the tub to absorb moisture and prevent falling
- Bright light bulbs
- Arrange for extra electrical wiring for any poorly lit areas to avoid overloaded outlets
- Replacement of any electrical appliances that need a new cord or plug
- Non-slip welcome mats and large indoor mats or trays to absorb moisture from wet boots
- Motion sensor lights for outside
- Items can also help to prevent injuries for caregivers:
- Bidet-style toilet so the caregiver does not have to lean over client for cleansing
- Temporary poles to assist the client in and out of bed and on and off toilet
- Wayfinding poles to provide support while walking instead of leaning on the caregiver
Have a safe and happy holiday season!
A previous version of this article was featured in the Huron Citizen in 2018: https://www.huroncitizen.ca/fall-prevention-month-christmas-gifts-with-love-and-safety