Everyone wants to have a gorgeous home, but making your house safe should be a priority.

It is estimated that over 500,000 US seniors are treated yearly in emergency rooms after accidents at home. The most-common places for these accidents to occur are in the bathroom and the kitchen.

The home safety specialists at Good Neighbor Pharmacy of SCV offer hundreds of affordable, easy-to-install products that help keep seniors safe at home. Joe Rodriguez, medical equipment manager at Valencia Pharmacy says "In the 18 years that I've been working with safety products, there have been huge improvements in both the functioning of the products, and the ease of installation." He also mentions that many of the safety items are now very style conscious, with finishes ranging from sleek chrome to rich teak.

When asked for a "must have" list, Joe had several suggestions, but wanted to remind readers that every senior's situation is a little different. The experts at Valencia Pharmacy Medical Equipment and Saugus Drugs & Hallmark are there to help families decide which products are needed.

Here's Joe's top safety list:
For Safer Bathrooms
Shower chairs, shower hand rails, hand held shower sprayers, transfer benches

For Safer Kitchens
Reaching-aid products, heavy-duty step stools with hand rails, suction or mounted grab bars

Another big safety concern is the area of mobility (motions like walking, sitting and getting up). Items such as canes, walkers, scooters and lift chairs have come a long way! They now come in all shapes, styles and sizes. Even the lift chairs come in fabrics that will fit right in with your home decor.

While choices are great, sometimes families are overwhelmed by the huge selection. The staff at Valencia Pharmacy and Saugus Drugs can help choose the right model, and make sure it is adjusted to fit perfectly.

Joe also mentions that, sometimes, seniors can be resistant to having safety items. He offers this advice: "I try to let people know that these items are like having good brakes in a car. You're not planning for an accident, you're just doing what you can to avoid one."

While Joe says that most of these products are easy to install at home (and the mobility products are fitted in the store), he does help with providing referrals for reputable, affordable installation services. The GNP folks can help you enhance your home safety with easy and affordable products, and can help with repairs of mobility products that you already own. Some mobility products are even covered by Medicare and can be billed directly to your insurance.

The experienced and caring at Valencia Pharmacy Medical Equipment has not gone unnoticed in the healthcare community. They were just voted National Home Health Pharmacy of the Year by Good Neighbor Pharmacy (out of 2,700 locations).

Valencia Pharmacy Medical Equipment is open Monday through Saturday, and Saugus Drugs & Hallmark is open seven days a week. Both locations deliver.
For more information, call or visit
Valencia Pharmacy, Valencia Medical Equipment, and Valencia Wellness Center (255-7910); Valencia Town Center Pharmacy (291-1800) or Saugus Drugs and Hallmark with Postal Center (296-3980).