Cedar Rapids Fire Department program aims to keep seniors safe in home

CEDAR RAPIDS - At 77, Jerry McGrane still is learning new things.

Though McGrane, a resident of his southeast Cedar Rapids neighborhood since 1991, prides himself on looking out for his elderly neighbors, he learned during a presentation this week there is more he can do to keep his own home safe.

'I didn't know you were supposed to have a carbon monoxide (detector) on both floors of your home,” said McGrane.

McGrane is one of about two dozen people who attended a 'Remembering When” presentation Thursday at Horizons, 819 Fifth St. SE. Hosted by Cedar Rapids firefighter and public education specialist Julie Popelka, Remembering When is a program developed by the National Fire Protection Association and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and designed to help seniors live safely in their homes for as long as possible by focusing on both fire and fall prevention.

'I want to keep you guys safe,” Popelka told the presentation attendees.

Cedar Rapids is one of 30 departments selected by the NFPA to institute Remembering When programs in their communities. Popelka was given a scholarship through the NFPA to travel to Orlando in November to receive training. A representative from Cedar Rapids-based HomeChoice Senior Care attended the training, as well.

While Popelka does large group presentations throughout the community like the one on Thursday, the more personal impact comes in the form of home visits for seniors, of which Popelka has done 67 in Cedar Rapids this year.

'I would say it's the main part of the program,” she said.

Popelka begins each home visit with a presentation with the occupant, during which she goes over 16 safety messages - eight on fire safety and eight on fall prevention. From there, she does a safety check throughout the residence.

Things Popelka checks for range from slip mats in tubs and night lights in hallways to making sure heat sources are plugged directly into the wall and that the home has adequate and up-to-date smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. She encourages swapping out extension cords for surge protectors and getting rid of rugs or, at least, securing them.

Right now, Popelka is capable of replacing non-wired smoke alarms in homes than needs them, but she doesn't carry other items needed to reduce the potential for fires, slips and falls in the home.

'My goal is, and I'm not there yet ... to be able to provide everything that house needs before I leave,” she said, listing items like night lights and carbon monoxide detectors.

Checkers Tavern & Eatery, 3120 Sixth St. SW, is hosting a fundraiser for the Remembering When program on Saturday, Aug. 20. Popelka said the family-friendly event runs from 2-6 p.m. and features a dunk tank, bouncy house and junior firefighter challenge. Money raised is to help Popelka add to her tool kit.

Popelka said the feedback from the home visits has been overwhelmingly positive.

'They love it,” she said. 'Sometimes they are a little hesitant when I first come in. But, by the time I'm done, they are just so appreciative of the information.”

Cedar Rapids public safety spokesman Greg Buelow said Remembering When helps a population in the city that is not only growing, but is vulnerable.

'Quite frankly, our population is getting older and a majority of our calls for service are medical-related,” he said. 'The greatest percentage of the fire department's calls are to medicals. Subsequently, a majority of medical calls are related to falls.”

Buelow points to calls for service related to seniors who have fallen and simply need help getting up. In 2013, there were 551 such calls. In 2015, there were 744. As of July 2016, there have been 438 fall-related calls this year.

According to the CDC, 55 percent of all unintentional injury deaths among adults age 65 and older are due to falls. From 2000 to 2013, the fall injury death rate for that same demographic nearly doubled from 29.6 per 100,000 to 56.7 per 100,000, according to the CDC.

Of the five fire deaths in Cedar Rapids over the last five years, three of the victims were 65 or older, Buelow said.

While it's too early to tell what kind of impact the Remembering When program has had on safety for seniors in the city, Buelow said fire department officials are hoping to see the number of falls stabilize or start trending downward in the next few years.

'That'd be a great barometer of the success of the program,” he said.