Three Americans over the age of 65 will die in a fire today.  And the next day and the next day…Three parents who’ll not see their children grow into mature adults.  Three grandparents who’ll not see their grandchildren grow up.  Seniors and young children make up the two largest at risk groups in our country when it comes to fire.  Let's talk about our tribal elders and how we can better protect them and keep them from becoming one of tomorrow's three fire deaths.

Why are our experienced citizens at greater risk?  Hearing loss makes it difficult to hear the sound of a standard 85 decibel smoke detector.  Injuries—old and new—along with underlying disease processes hinder their mobility and their ability to get out of the house when a fire happens.  Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease can render them unable to make quick life-saving decisions; medications that they are taking may dull their senses and have a similar affect on their decision-making.  Many of our elders live alone and don’t have someone to assist them when a fire breaks out.

Cooking fires are the #1 cause of fire-related injuries in seniors.  Those factors in the previous paragraph can cause the older cook to forget food on the stove or in the oven resulting in a kitchen fire.  The burn injuries come when that same diminished decision-making capacity causes them to grab the pan and try to put it out in the sink.

Unsafe smoking habits are the #1 cause of fire deaths among senior citizens.  They fall asleep with a lit cigarette which falls into their bedding or the couch or chair.  Or they empty ashtrays with hot embers into trash cans with other combustible materials.  These behaviors set the stage for a smoldering fire that will slowly grow during the night and produce smoke and toxic gases that can kill them in their sleep.

Our elders were there for us when we where growing up and now it’s time for us to be there when they are growing “down”.  In future posts I’ll talk about those things that we can do to make sure that the elders in our lives do not become one of those three Americans.