SeniorS SuperStoreS strives to provide you valuable information concerning issues of interest and importance for everyone, and especially you, our guests.In this effort we ran across this article that deals with Lowe's Home Safety Council, a public service of Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouses.

According to a recent survey, American homeowners need and want more information on home safety. Lowe's Home Safety Council tested people's general home safety knowledge and practices through a quiz and survey.

"According to our survey findings, nearly all respondents know the messages directed at children about the dangers of fires, poisons, and carbon monoxide, but many do not implement those teachings into their everyday lives," said David Oliver, executive director of Lowe's Home Safety Council, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating safer American homes.

Although 45 percent of respondents feel they know how to handle home safety issues, only 25 percent received a passing grade on the IQ quiz. The quiz tests a person's knowledge of general home safety tips and statistics for choking, falls, fires and poisonings. It also provides tips and directions to learn more about home safety in a fun and non-alarming way.

"Our hope during Home Safety Week is that homeowners take the safety challenge, identify the gaps in their general home safety IQ, and act on that knowledge to increase the safety level in their homes," added Oliver.

Number One Danger: Falls

Only one-third of those tested realize older adults are hospitalized more often for falls than for other causes. And, two-thirds of Americans surveyed didn't know that slips and falls are the number one reason children end up in the emergency room. Unfortunately, 180 children ages 14 and younger, and 1,200 older adults between the ages of 65 to 74 die from falls annually.

"It's tragic to think about the thousands of lives cut short due to injuries in the home that could have easily been prevented," said Oliver. "Fortunately, once we brought these issues to the attention of those surveyed, two-thirds said they plan to take additional measures to improve the safety of their homes."

Some Simple Solutions

Here are some simple steps Lowe's Home Safety Council recommends for homeowners to raise the level of safety in their homes:

* Install slip guards, safety handrails and grab bars, and keep living areas free of toys and other clutter. These are simple home improvements that can help reduce the most common household injury - falls.

* Make sure there is a working smoke and carbon monoxide alarm on every floor in the home.

* Draw, develop and practice a fire escape plan.

* Place a working fire extinguisher in an accessible area and make sure all adults living in the household KNOW how to use it.

* Lock up all poisons in cabinets, away from children, pets and other loved ones.

Other Facts from the Home Safety IQ Survey

* Despite slips and falls being the number one cause of unintentional injury, more people (38 percent of Americans) are performing home safety projects to prepare for disasters than any other safety improvement project.

* While more than half of respondents with children said they have or are planning child safety improvements, only 13 percent said they plan to purchase child cabinet locks as part of these improvements.

* Twenty-one percent said they have or are planning senior safety improvements, but only 7 percent plan to purchase bathtub grab bars.

Lowe's Home Safety Council observes National Home Safety Week in partnership with the National Safety Council and its National Safety Month observance during June. In 1993, Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse founded Lowe's Home Safety Council, a nonprofit organization, with the vision of creating safer American homes. Since then, Lowe's Home Safety Council has invested more than $25 million to educate children, adults, seniors and families on how to improve the safety and security in their homes. For additional home safety information and free brochures, consumers can call 1-800-SAFE-HOME or visit http://www.loweshomesafety.org.