Recent Community Posts

Winter love

2/6/2018 (Permalink)

Winter can be hard for everyone. If you experience winter weather, don’t forget to check on your neighbors who are elderly or may need assistance. 

Here is some helpful advice for preventing common winter dangers that the elderly population faces.

  • Avoid Slipping on Ice
    Icy, snowy roads and sidewalks make it easy to slip and fall. “Unfortunately, falls are a common occurrence for senior citizens, especially during the winter months,” says Dr. Stanley Wang, a physician at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, Calif. Often these falls cause major injuries such as hip and wrist fractures, head trauma and major lacerations.

While younger people often recover relatively quickly from such injuries, older adults face complications, which Dr. Wang says are a leading cause of death from injury in men and women over the age of 65.

  • Dress for Warmth. Cold temperatures can lead to frostbite and hypothermia — a condition where the body temperature dips too low. According to the CDC, more than half of hypothermia-related deaths were of people over the age of 65.

Your body temperature should never dip below 95 degrees — if it does get medical assistance immediately.

  • Fight Wintertime Depression
    Because it can be difficult and dangerous to get around, many seniors have less contact with others during cold months. This can breed feelings of loneliness and isolation.

To help avoid these issues, family members can check in on seniors as often as possible; even a short, daily phone call can make a big difference. Seniors can also arrange a check-in system with neighbors and friends, where each person looks in on one or two others daily.

#GoodNeighbors #WeatherWednesday

January 28, 2015 Posted by National CPR Corp | General Health Advice, winter | elderly, winter

Ready Plan???

2/6/2018 (Permalink)

Response times are a huge factor in minimizing damage. Download our Ready Plan App to create a Ready Profile so that when disaster strikes, help is just a click away. http://bit.ly/1eXVvAe

By developing a SERVPRO Emergency READY Profile for your business, you minimize business interruption by having an immediate plan of action. Knowing what to do and what to expect in advance is the key to timely mitigation and can help minimize how water and fire damage can affect your business.

  • A no cost assessment of your facility.
    This means there is no need to allocate funds, giving you a great value at no cost.

    A concise Profile Document that contains only the critical information needed in the event of an emergency.
    It will only take a little time to complete and will not take you away from current projects. But it will save a lot of time if ever needed.

    A guide to help you get back into your building following a disaster.
    This can help minimize the amount of time your business is inactive by having an immediate plan of action.

    Establishes your local SERVPRO Franchise Professional as your disaster mitigation and restoration provider.
    You have a provider that is recognized as an industry leader and close by.

    Identification of the line of command for authorizing work to begin.
    This saves time so we can begin the work of mitigating the damage which can save you time and money.

    Provides facility details such as shut-off valve locations, priority areas and priority contact information.
    Having a quick reference of what to do, how to do it and who to call provides solutions in advance of an emergency so that during the emergency you are "Ready for whatever happens."

Credit to: © SERVPRO Intellectual Property, Inc. 2018 

Drive safely as it gets darker

11/2/2017 (Permalink)

Daylight Saving Time ends every year on the first Sunday in November. This means it starts to get darker earlier. As we set our clocks backward by one hour in most areas of the country, here are some tips for driving at night.

As we 'Fall Back' to Shorter Days, Take Extra Care on the Road

Fatigue, lack of light, compromised night vision, rush hour and impaired drivers all contribute to making driving at night more dangerous than during any other time of day. In fact, the risk of a fatal crash is three times greater at night, according to National Safety Council research.

Fatigue

A National Sleep Foundation poll says 60% of adults have driven while they were tired, and another 37%, or 103 million people, have fallen asleep at the wheel. Of those, 13% say they fall asleep while driving at least once a month, and 4% say they have caused a crash by falling asleep while driving.

The reasons are many – shift work, lack of quality sleep, long work hours, sleep disorders – and it doesn't only happen on lengthy trips.

These staggering numbers are backed up by a report by NHTSA that 100,000 police-reported crashes are a result of driver fatigue. Most crashes or near-misses happen at the times you would expect drivers to be tired: 4 to 6 a.m., midnight to 2 a.m. and 2 to 4 p.m., according to NSF.

Nov. 6-13, 2016, is Drowsy Driving Prevention Week. The National Sleep Foundation offers this advice:

  • Get seven to nine hours of sleep a night
  • Don't drive if you've been awake for 24 hours or more
  • Stop every two hours to rest
  • Pull over and take a nap if you're drowsy
  • Travel during times you are normally awake

Darkness

When Daylight Saving Time ends many people will find themselves spending more time driving in the dark. Depth perception, color recognition and peripheral vision can be compromised in the dark, and the glare of headlights from an oncoming vehicle can temporarily blind a driver.

Even with high-beam headlights on, visibility is limited to about 500 feet (250 feet for normal headlights) creating less time to react to something in the road, especially when driving at higher speeds.

What should you do to combat darkness?

  • Aim your headlights correctly, and make sure they're clean
  • Dim your dashboard
  • Look away from oncoming lights
  • If you wear glasses, make sure they're anti-reflective
  • Clean the windshield to eliminate streaks
  • Slow down to compensate for limited visibility and reduced stopping time

Compromised Night Vision

Night vision is the ability to see well in low-light conditions. As we age, we have greater difficulty seeing at night. A 50-year-old driver may need twice as much light to see as well as a 30-year-old. At age 60 and older, driving can become even more difficult, according to the American Optometric Association. Some older drivers also may have compromised vision due to cataracts and degenerative eye diseases.

The AOA recommends older drivers:

  • Have annual vision exams
  • Reduce speed
  • Take a driving course; even experienced drivers can benefit from a refresher course, and some of the rules have probably changed
  • Minimize distractions, like talking with passengers or listening to the radio
  • Check with your doctor about side effects of prescription drugs
  • Limit driving to daytime hours if necessary

Rush Hour

Evening rush hour (between 4 and 7 p.m. weekdays) is a dangerous time to drive due to crowded roadways and drivers eager to get home after work. In winter, it's dark during rush hour, compounding an already dangerous driving situation.

How can you make it home safely during rush hour?

  • Don't be an impatient driver; slow down
  • Stay in your lane and beware of drivers who dart from lane to lane
  • Even though the route may be familiar, don't go on autopilot; stay alert
  • In unfamiliar areas, consult a map before you go and memorize your route
  • Don't touch your phone, eat, drink or do other things that are distracting

Impaired Drivers

Nearly 30 people die every day in crashes that involve a driver impaired by alcohol, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Drivers impaired by prescription medicines and other drugs increase that number significantly. Impaired drivers are most frequently on the road after dark – particularly between the hours of midnight and 3 a.m. on weekends.

While drunk driving has declined by about one-third since 2007, the number of drivers under the influence of drugs has increased. Between 2013 and 2014, 22% of drivers tested positive for a drug that would cause impairment, according to a roadside survey conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA also found that the prevalence of THC (found in marijuana) among drivers on weekend nights increased 48% since 2007, from 8.6% of drivers to 12.6%. Many states have not yet updated their impaired driving laws to address this growing problem.

Stay Alert, Stay Alive

While we do only one quarter of our driving at night, 50% of traffic deaths happen at night. It doesn't matter whether the road is familiar or not, driving at night is always more dangerous.

More than 35,500 people were killed in car crashes in 2013, according to Injury Facts 2016. By taking some extra precautions, we can all contribute to reducing these numbers.

Source: http://www.nsc.org/learn/safety-knowledge/Pages/news-and-resources-driving-at-night.aspx

Pet Safety Tips for the Holidays

11/2/2017 (Permalink)

So cute

Keeping your furry family members safe during the holidays can be a difficult task. There are the ornaments, plants, presents, lights -- oh, and who could forget the Christmas tree (if do you decide to put one up this year)? Let's take a look at some simple steps that will allow your pets to join in the holiday fun this year, while avoiding any trips to the animal emergency room.

Christmas Tree Tips:

1. Place your Christmas tree in a corner, blocked off from your pet's wanting eyes. If this doesn't keep your dog or cat from attempting to jump onto the tree, you can place aluminum foil, a plastic drink bottle filled with knickknacks, or anything else that creates noise on the tree's bottom limbs to warn you of an impending tree disaster.

2. Tinsel can add a nice sparkling touch to the tree, but make sure you hang it up out of your pet's reach. Ingesting the tinsel can potentially block their intestines, which is generally only remedied through surgical means.

3. Do not put lights on the tree's lower branches. Not only can your pet get tangled up in the lights, they are a burning hazard. Additionally, your dog or cat may inadvertently get shocked by biting through the wire.

4. Ornaments need to be kept out of reach, too. In addition to being a choking and intestinal blockage hazard, shards from broken ornaments may injure paws, mouths, or other parts of your pet's body.

5. For those buying a live Christmas trees this year, keep the area free and clear of pine needles. While they may not seem dangerous, the needles can puncture your pet's intestines if ingested.

Other Great Holiday Item Tips:

1. Did you know holly, mistletoe, and poinsettia plants are poisonous to dogs or cats? If you normally use these plants to decorate your home, they should be kept in an area your pet cannot reach.

2. Edible tree decorations -- whether they be ornaments, or cranberry or popcorn strings -- are like time bombs waiting to happen. These goodies are just too enticing and your pet will surely tug at them, knocking down your wonderfully decorated spruce.

3. Burning candles should be placed on high shelves or mantels, out of your pet's way -- there's no telling where a wagging tail may end up. Homes with fireplaces should use screens to avoid accidental burns.

4. To prevent any accidental electrocutions, any exposed indoor or outdoor wires should be taped to the wall or the sides of the house.

5. When gift wrapping, be sure to keep your pet away. Wrapping paper, string, plastic, or cloth could cause intestinal blockages. Scissors are another hazard, and they should be kept off floors or low tables.

We at petMD don't want to ruin all your holiday decorating fun. By all means, go crazy sprucing up your home and wrapping presents. But make sure you do in a way that is safe for your pet(s) this holiday season.

Source: http://www.petmd.com/dog/seasonal/evr_multi_christmas_safety#