There have been some troubling stories in the news lately that point up the need to keep in touch with friends, family and neighbors and for them to keep in frequent contact with seniors.

First there was the story of the woman in Florida whose property was damaged by a hurricane and she was unable to afford the repairs that would allow her to have electric service in her home. The amazing thing is that the hurricane that caused the damage was Andrew and this elderly woman lived without full electricity for 15 years. Neighbors never noticed that she had only one dim lamp, nor was anyone aware she had no heat and could not use her stove.

There was the story of 70 year old Vincenzo Ricardo, the Long Island man who died in his chair, watching TV and was not found for over a year. Neighbors assumed he was in the hospital and never thought to check on him.

More recently comes a story about a man who fell in his house and lay on the floor for perhaps as long as two weeks before he was found. Shaun McKenney, 69, who suffered frostbite and hypothermia, lived in a house with no running water and no sanitary facilities.

In each of these cases, a little involvement could have gone a long way. Know your neighbors, take time to meet them. Notice when someone doesn’t put out any trash on trash day or if you don’t see someone for several days. Don’t assume they are away - call or visit. And it is just as important that you regularly discuss your plans with others, so that if they don’t see you performing your normal routines that they take notice and do not assume you are away.

It used to be that you knew all your neighbors and they knew you. Nowadays people live more isolated lives and tragedies like the ones cited above are more common. It’s time to create a spirit of community in neighborhoods and apartment complexes and go back to being good neighbors.

A story in the news brings to light once again the dangers of injury and accident in the home, and how accidents could happen in ways we don’t expect.

69-year-old Inga Walen was trapped for four days in her kichen after her refrigerator fell on top of her.

The fridge toppled on the Roseville, CA woman as she opened its door because there was too much weight on top shelves and much less weight on the bottom shelves. Inga was able to reach a wooden spoon and a pan lid with which she banged noisily and cried for help.

A local politician, Greg Allen, was campaigning door-to-door when he heard her cries for help and rescued her from her four-day ordeal.

Inga broke her collar bone and injured her legs but survived her ordeal. As for Allen, she says she doesn’t care which political party he belongs to, he’s got her vote.

At this site there’s a Housing Safety Checklist that points out common things that can cause accident or injury in the home. I did notice that it doesn’t list unbalanced refrigerators.

Perhaps a good item to add to the list is to make sure that all large or heavy appliances are in areas where the floor is level or, if they have adjustable leveling feet, that they are set properly so there is no risk of them toppling over from uneven weight loads.

Above all, read the checklist and make yourself aware of common risks and dangers that could cause unnecessary injury or even death.