A Study on the Development of an Integrated Safety Manual for Older Adults Aging in Placeities
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to propose an integrated safety manual that enables older adults to remain safely and with dignity in their own homes for as long as possible, rather than entering institutional care. To achieve this purpose, this study comparatively reviewed international academic studies and policy reports related to aging in place, fall prevention, home safety, disaster preparedness, family caregiving, and end-of-life care at home. The review included WHO’s Integrated Care for Older People approach, OECD reports on healthy ageing and community care, practical guidelines from the NIA, CDC, USPSTF, FEMA, AARP, Age UK, Japanese case studies on aging in place, and major reviews on family caregiver education and home-based end-of-life care. WHO ICOPE OECD The findings suggest that safety for community-dwelling older adults should be approached as an integrated concept that includes falls, fire, gas and electrical hazards, medication errors, dehydration, malnutrition, cognitive decline, social isolation, crime and fraud, and disaster preparedness. In addition, preventive home visits alone do not guarantee strong effects unless they are combined with structured checklists, risk stratification, functional assessment, family notification systems, and coordinated referrals to relevant services. Campbell Collaboration US Preventive Services Task Force Accordingly, this study proposes a weekly home-visit-based integrated safety manual composed of six domains: housing and environmental safety, physical and functional status, cognitive-emotional and social isolation status, crime prevention, disaster preparedness, and family linkage including end-of-life preparation at home. A three-level family notification system—normal, caution, and danger—is also suggested. This study is meaningful in that it expands elderly protection into a new area of community-based safety services within the field of private security. BMJ Open Health Affairs.