Open Access“Worried About Them When We Left”: A Mixed-Methods Essay
Author(s) -
Carlee Lehna,
Stephanie Twyman,
Erin Fahey,
Mary-Beth Coty,
Joseph B Williams,
Drane Scrivener,
Gracie Wishnia
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the qualitative report
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.335
H-Index - 35
ISSN - 2160-3715
DOI - 10.46743/2160-3715/2015.2095
Subject(s) - checklist , agency (philosophy) , smoke , fire safety , ethnography , psychology , emergency management , gerontology , medical education , medicine , sociology , geography , political science , social science , cognitive psychology , risk analysis (engineering) , meteorology , anthropology , law
The purpose of this visual inquiry using ethnographic photographic research was to examine fire safety in homes of 42 urban older adults. Photographs were taken to document home fire safety (HFS) practices and grouped according to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Home Safety Checklist categories. Participants had a mean age of 74 years, and were mostly African American (n=21, 57%), and female (n=32, 78%). Major findings from the photographs demonstrated unsafe electrical, cooking, and heating practices. Other HFS hazards related to installation and maintenance of carbon monoxide (CO) and smoke alarms, smoking safety, and identification and practice of home fire escape plans. The findings will provide future direction for community education and fire prevention advocacy for older adults.