Kick off the summer by securing your home base

June is full of fun! Summer is back. School is out, and there’s a happy bustle around the neighborhood as pools and parks kick into full gear.

June is also National Safety Month, an annual opportunity to access your environment and ensure that security measures are up-to-date. While that may not seem quite as festive as some of June’s other features, it’s cues an important annual reminder. Here’s what to consider as you secure your home base.

Revisit your plans
Who wants to think about emergencies when life is feeling happy, healthy and carefree? It’s hard to pause when things are going well to invite worrisome thoughts about what to do if something scary happens. But thinking through emergency plans during the calm times gives you an edge - you’re better positioned to problem-solve when you’re at ease than when you’re in the throws of an emergency.

To that end, develop and practice a household safety plan with everyone who lives in your home. The CDC recommends that households discuss what kinds of emergencies are likely in their region and know how their community alerts and advises residents if those events should occur. The CDC further advises: “Find escape routes in your home and evacuation routes in your community. Practice using these routes with your family.”

Refresh contact information
Another important component of your safety plan is making sure that you have a contact plan. It’s advisable that you have a hard copy of your most important contact numbers that you keep in your wallet. You don’t want to find yourself in a situation where your contact information is only accessible on an electronic device that you may not have access to in an emergency. The CDC recommends populating an emergency contact card.

Also, make sure to revise your emergency contact list. Update all phone numbers for your emergency contacts, so that they are reliable and reachable when you need them the most.

Check your alarms
The US Fire Administration (USFA) offers the alarming insight that our risk of fire-related fatalities in our homes increases as we age. Therefore, it’s imperative to take fire safety seriously. USFA advises that smoke alarms should be placed on every level of the home, and in every room in which residents sleep. They should be tested monthly and replaced at least every ten years.

USFA points out that professionals from your local fire department may be available to come to your home, help you install and check your fire alarms and answer your questions. This can be especially helpful if there’s a resident in your home with a visual or hearing impairment.

It can be helpful to learn directly from the professionals how to strategize your fire safety plan when your household has additional challenges to navigate. USFA recommends calling the non-emergency number for your local fire department to learn more. They also offer helpful tips via their booklet Fire Safety for Older Adults.

Safe and Steady
Take the opportunity that the warm, fresh weather presents to clean, declutter and safeguard your space. When clutter impedes easy passage through your home, it increases the trip hazard potential. Falls are the main reason older adults lose their independence.

Visiting Angels is your resource for safety and for fall prevention. The Safe and Steady Fall Program offers expert tips and advice for creating an ideal environment to foster safety and wellness for seniors.

Brighten your space
Pay attention to the lighting in your home. Are there dark hallways? Do you have a porch light? Could you use a bedside lamp? Would it be helpful to have a motion detector in the back of your home? Think about those areas that would be safer if they weren’t quite so dark.

Address your trouble spots
Kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms are common settings for household accidents. You probably know where the danger zones are in your home - that steep staircase where you’ve been meaning to install an extra railing for years or that spot in the bathroom that gets extra slippery.

Make this the year you take care of those hazards. Sometimes we mistakenly believe that because an accident hasn’t happened yet it won’t. Prevent it by fixing the problem. Whatever amount of money you have to spend on prevention, it will be cheaper than what you would have to spend if you or someone in your household gets hurt.

Making your home safer may not seem as exciting as some of the other fun activities that June has to offer, but it will keep you healthier so you can enjoy those things longer. That’s worth it. Happy summer!