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Evaluating The Safe Living Guide: A Home Hazard Checklist for Seniors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 March 2010

Andrea Sorcinelli ,
Lynn Shaw ,
Andrew Freeman  and
Kim Cooper
Andrea Sorcinelli*
Affiliation:
Occupational Therapist
Lynn Shaw
Affiliation:
School of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Western Ontario
Andrew Freeman
Affiliation:
School of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Western Ontario
Kim Cooper
Affiliation:
School of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Western Ontario
*
Requests for offprints should be sent to: / Les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être adressées à: Andrea Sorcinelli, School of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Western Ontario, Arthur and Sonia Labatt Health Sciences Building, Rm 200, London, ON N6G 1H1. (andreasorcinelli@hotmail.com)
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Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility and reliability of a home hazard checklist published in Health Canada, The Safe Living Guide: A Guide to Home Safety for Seniors (2003).

Methods: 76 community-dwelling seniors evaluated the guide, and inter-rater reliability was determined through comparison of ratings of seniors and experts.

Results: Findings revealed that seniors found The Safe Living Guide useful in helping them identify hazards. On the majority of items in the checklist, agreement between raters was moderate to almost perfect, with an overall reliability of 0.509.

Practice Implications: This guide can be used with confidence by seniors and community-based caregivers for evaluating hazards and identifying opportunities in order to support and prolong safe, independent living in the community.

Résumé

Objectif: l'objectif de cette étude était l'évaluation de l'utilité et la fiabilité de la liste de dangers domestiques de Santé Canada, Chez soi en toute sécurité. Guide de sécurité des aînés

Méthodes: 76 aînées ont évalué le guide, et ces données ont été comparées avec les indices des thérapeutistes étudiantes afin de déterminer la fiabilité des évaluations des aînées.

Résultats: Les aînées ont trouvé le guide utile pour l'identification des dangers soi-même. Un accord modéré à presque parfait a été établi parmi les participants pour la plupart des points sur la liste, avec une fiabilité totale de 0,509.

Implications en pratique: Le guide peut être utilisé avec confiance par les aînées et les professionnels de soins communautaire pour l'évaluation des problèmes potentiels et l'identification des occasions pour aider et prolonger une vie indépendante et sans danger dans la communauté.

Keywords

agingself-assessment toolsreliabilityhome hazardsvieillissementoutils d'auto-évaluationfiabilitédangers domestiques
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 26 , Issue 2 , Summer/Été 2007 , pp. 127 - 137
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2007

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