Elderly residents at risk from clutter

Did you know falls are the most common cause of death among citizens of a certain age?

De-cluttering a home could help reduce potentially fatal falls reckons ROSPA, who are advising all homeowners to re-assess their homes with a view to making homes safer by identifying potential trip areas. It's not just the elderly - everyone is at risk from a serious or life threatening injury as a result of tripping over. Whether that's an uneven step, loose carpets or rugs or even children's toys.

Many families employ a domestic cleaning service to look after elderly relatives living on their own. Part of their cleaning routine should be to ensure there are no trip hazards.

ROSPA say your trip assessment shouldn't be confined to just inside the house either. Consider the outside too - particularly pathways that may be uneven or cracked. Clearing slippery moss from a pathway is just one example of a small step that can make a big difference.

Age UK research revealed that 270,000 falls were caused by the poor vision of a person over the age of 60 in the past two years alone, further highlighting the importance of de-cluttering and removing small objects, or attending to loose furnishings, that could cause someone to trip and fall.

This article first appeared in our weekly homeowner newsletter dated 27th June 2011. Click here to read the full newsletter.

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photo credit: julie vazquez

Beware Rogue Traders as Winter approaches

Age UK has warned that older people in particular, are vulnerable to being targeted by rogue traders as we head towards another predicted cold Winter.

Although door to door canvassing is not illegal, complaints continue to increase against this sort of selling - up 16% last year compared with the previous one. (source BBC).

In 2009 alone, there were over 5,300 complaints about doorstep traders offering to do home maintenance work.

Both Age UK and the Office of Fair Trading have highlighted the dangers in a new campaign which centres around 3 main home improvements areas, which attract the worst rogues.

Cavity wall insulation, roof repairs and driveway maintenance are singled out as the three jobs most likely to attract rogue elements. In the case of wall insulation, they may claim to be part of an energy saving scheme for instance, and charge high prices for shoddy or non-existent work.

Cowboy builders may claim to have spotted something urgently requiring attention on your roof. Because the elderly may be unable to go up and inspect their roof themselves, work that is unnecessary may be quoted for.

And lastly, beware builders claiming they have left-over materials from a nearby driveway job. Be especially cautious if they ask for payment up front as they can easily disappear with your money. Don't be fooled by the fact they've left a wheelbarrow or tools behind - these are relatively inexpensive to replace for the rogue trader, compared to your money they've just made off with.

It's all very worrying - especially if you're a family member wanting to help elderly relatives get work done.

One thing you can do to help rule out these bogus businesses is to use the 'Quoter family of websites. Typing in a few basic measurements will give you an instant online price guide as to how much the job should cost.

If you don't know the exact details, you can always call us on 0845 300 2333 for expert friendly advice - without any hard sell.

Then, and only, after speaking with you from our offices here in Derby, we can pass your details to up to 3 recommended tradesmen in your area. They'll arrange to visit, measure up and leave you with a written quote that's valid for 6 months.

What's more, you'll be able to read online comments and feedback from other homeowners who've received quotes or had work done to help you gauge the right company for you, plus we've a series of handy homeowner guides covering every step of a home improvement project free to view online or download and keep.

The 'Quoter family of websites - stamping out rogue traders not just in Winter, but all year round for over 10 years now.