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Aussie Homes are Death Traps for Elderly
By Jason Dowling, The Age
September 23, 2008
Australia
A national awareness campaign is urgently needed to reduce the number of elderly Australians killed or injured from falls in the home, according to a leading architecture group.
A 2008 Archicentre survey of 37,000 homes in Victoria found 26% had slip and trip hazards.
Archicentre said Federal Government figures from 2005 showed that on average three people a day over 65 died from falls and more than 1000 people a week were hospitalised.
They said thousands of elderly people were living with dangerous "slip and trip" hazards that could be fatal or result in serious injury.
The group called for a national awareness campaign for people to remove hazards and make minor improvements to their homes.
"The main causes of falls are slippery surfaces and uneven floors. But protruding door thresholds, loose rugs and carpet runners can also be hazardous, as well as tangled power and telephone cords," Ingrid Mountford, training manager at Archicentre said in a statement.
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