Abstract:

The objective was to investigate the prevalence of environmental safety hazards in the homes of older Australians, their knowledge of causes of injuries and preventive safety measures, and the relationship between sociodemographic characteristics and levels of home environment hazards. A representative sample of 425 individuals aged 70 and older completed a structured interview and a home safety inspection using a predetermined rating system (hazard score). A total of 342 homes (80 percent) had at least one hazard, and 169 (39 percent) had more than five hazards. The bathroom was the most hazardous room, with 279 (66 percent) having at least one hazard. Eighty-eight percent of the participants were able to identify falls as the most common cause of injury among older adults. Although a significant association was found between self-assessment of a home's safety and the presence of five or more hazards, 30 percent of those rating their homes as very safe had more than five hazards. Logistic regression analysis identified one variable--visits by health care service providers--as predictive of hazard levels: those who were never visited by service providers were twice as likely to have more than five hazards as those who were visited at least weekly.