10 electronics that adult children should check when visiting a senior's home
From changing light bulbs to checking electric fireplace plugs, you don't have to be an electrician to help avoid fire hazards in family homes
This post is part of a series entitled “BlackTechLogy.” Click here for the archived posts.
Resetting clocks wasn’t supposed to be a tradition in my former Girl Scout leader’s house. In my late 20s or early 30s, I started going to her home before I visited my grandfather during Christmas week and noticed her clock hands were an hour off. I reset the bathroom clock without her permission. When I walked out of the restroom, I jokingly asked her if she did that on purpose to make sure she was always on time for appointments. She shrugged and said she just never got around to resetting it.
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Because she has two daughters, who would often pop up at Girl Scout meetings, along with a few grandkids, I thought it was curious that this didn’t bother any of them. It clearly didn’t, and a tradition began. Daylight Saving Time ends in November. I’d pop up in December and reset her clocks. At one point when her daughters tried to do it on their own, my Girl Scout leader stopped them and said, “That’s Shamontiel’s job. Leave the clocks alone.”
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This new “job” became an ongoing joke that went on for years all the way up until she passed away during the pandemic (not from COVID-19). Years later, my hands get fidgety around the holidays when I look at wall clocks because I’d had this routine for more than a decade. Although it was a small “job,” it made me start looking around at older relatives’ and senior friends’ households to make sure their other electronics were in working order and they weren’t at risk of any fire hazards.
Recommended Read: “The most underrated danger in your home: Lint ~ The fire hazard your home insurance company should warn you about”
While solo agers are on the rise, aging electronics, outdated wiring and oversights can increase the risk of fires, falls and equipment failures.
You don’t need to be an electrician or an appraiser to perform a basic safety check. Some things are just obvious to a tech-savvy person. But don’t attempt repairs involving exposed wiring or your home’s electrical panel beyond resetting a tripped breaker — unless you really know what you’re doing. If you’re unsure about anything, call a licensed electrician.
Recommended Read: “Why a broken light switch made me prefer mood lighting ~ I’m not surprised by the lamp bathroom light trend on TikTok”
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