4 ways you can keep safe this festive season

The holiday season is a time most commonly spent with family and friends, filled with celebration, relaxation and good food.

No one wants their holiday season to be tainted. So we’ve put together a handy guide on Holiday Safety to help you through.

Keeping well at family gatherings

With so many individuals in the one space, a range of trip hazards can appear in the home.
These can include:

• Handbags and backpacks
• Children’s toys
• Pets and pet beds
• Presents, wrapping paper and ribbons on the floor
• Celebration decorations
  
  

As with any trip hazard, environmental awareness is the key to ensuring you don’t have an accidental fall during a gathering.
It could also be worth performing a Fall Hazard Audit of your home to ensure you and your loved ones are safe from slips and trips. During large gatherings it’s also important to remember environmental hazards like steam (particularly if you’re helping out in the kitchen) as they can fog up your glasses and reduce awareness of your surroundings.

Being scam-aware over the holiday season

Over the festive season, it’s not uncommon to see a range of competitions being run over social media.

Unfortunately, while many businesses offer sincere discounts and freebies over the holidays, it also presents an opportunity for scammers to attempt to steal money or information.

But don’t stress - there are a few simple precautions you can take to ensure you are not stung by a scam:
Avoid engaging with any unverified (without a blue tick) social media account that is offering free products, or a grand giveaway. A great way to assess an account’s legitimacy is to check their username. Scam accounts often attempt to mimic a well-known brand.

• For example, if you’re looking at the Facebook page for a brand called EBRAND, the scam page might be called EBRAND-01 which would be a red flag that it’s not the real deal.
  
  
• Keep track of the ACCC’s website. Many large brands like banks and postal services will also have their own Scam Watch page - it’s advised to check these before engaging with any email, text, or phone call asking for a payment of some sort.
  
  
• Be weary of interacting with any emails from providers you don’t engage with. Many common scams include phishing emails (designed to capture your details) mimicking large brands, indicating you’re entitled to a refund, freebie or conversely, that you’re being charged for something.
  
  
• Do not engage with any communication that requests payment in the form of gift cards. This is a common method scammers use to get quick cash.
  

Food, drink and listening to your body

It goes without saying that alcohol has the power to influence our fall risk. But there are other things to keep in mind when it comes to understanding the effects of certain food and drink on the body.

If you’re settling down for a nice Turkey dinner this holiday season, it’s important to remember that turkey meat contains tryptophan.

Tryptophan is an amino acid that the body uses to make vitamin B3 which helps you relax and can make you sleepy. Keep this in mind, particularly if you have a long drive ahead of you after dinner!

Safety and planning for Boxing Day sales

Boxing Day sales are a highlight of the festive season for many. Thousands of Aussies flock to the shops to snag a bargain on December 26, causing quite a busy scene, particularly in major shopping centres.

There are a few things to keep in mind to ensure you’re comfortable while you head to the shops for the Boxing Day sales:

• Parking is often tricky to come by, and it can be easy to spend a significant chunk of your day circling a car park. Arranging a carpool, taxi or public transport to the shops could be a good option (and a great way to keep your stress levels in check!).
• If you find that you need to stop and rest while you’re shopping, it might be a good idea to take your walker with you. During a busy rush the centre benches can fill up fast, and being without a resting spot is the last thing you need!
• For those looking to snag a specific Boxing Day bargain, an online shop may be the way to go. Online warehouses often have a lot of stock compared to local stores, plus it cuts the need to navigate the hectic crowds on Sale day.

If falls are a concern for you this holiday season, HomeGuardian’s non-invasive fall detection technology is here to ensure you’re never alone in the event of an incident.

To get more information, feel free to call our knowledgeable Care team - we’re standing by to help! 1300 248 324.

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