title: Evaluating the safe living guide: a home hazard checklist for seniors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility and reliability of a home hazard checklist published in Health Canada, The Safe Living Guide: A Guide to Home Safety for Seniors (2003).
  
  
  METHODS
  76 community-dwelling seniors evaluated the guide, and inter-rater reliability was determined through comparison of ratings of seniors and experts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Findings revealed that seniors found The Safe Living Guide useful in helping them identify hazards. On the majority of items in the checklist, agreement between raters was moderate to almost perfect, with an overall reliability of 0.509.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This guide can be used with confidence by seniors and community-based caregivers for evaluating hazards and identifying opportunities in order to support and prolong safe, independent living in the community.
authors.affiliation: School of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, ON. andreasorcinelli@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sorcinelli
authors.forename: Lynn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Freeman
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cooper
mesh_terms: D000061:Accidents, Home / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009864:Ontario; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012449:Safety / Q000592:standards*; D012494:Sampling Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires