Home fire safety intervention pilot with urban older adults living in Wales

- Older adults are at a higher risk for morbidity and mortality due to burn.
- In Wales and the US, policies focus on enabling older people to live at home.
- Home fire safety (HFS) knowledge improved and was retained over time.
- There is a need for a HFS video specifically targeting older adults.
- An international collaboration aided development of an effective HFS program.

The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the effects of a home fire safety (HFS) education program developed in the US, on improved HFS knowledge and practice in a purposive sample of 12 urban older adults living in Swansea, Wales. Knowledge was tested at baseline (T1), immediately after watching a Video on HFS (T2), and at 2-week follow-up (T3). A majority of the participants were Caucasian (n = 9, 81.8%), and female (n = 11, 91.7%); their mean age was 78 years old (SD = 12.7 years). They had two chronic illnesses (n = 1.8, SD = 1.3), walked without help (n = 7, 58.3%), and lived in a flat (n = 10, 90.9%). Knowledge scores (percent correct) changed over time and were significantly different from T1 (46.7%) to T2 (59.2%, p = 0.04) and from T1 (46.7%) to T3 (58.9%, p = 0.04), but T2 and T3 (p = 0.94) scores showed no difference. There is a need for educational HFS intervention programs aimed at this age group. This pilot successfully targeted active older adults living independently in sheltered housing complexes. Further fire safety research is needed with community dwelling older adults living in other types of housing.