Home Care Safety Tips

Every year in homes across the U.S., there are an average of 33,300 fatal accidents and 8,000,000 disabling injuries.  Chances are, most of your clients have one or more factors that add to their risk of injury.  By doing everything you can to maintain their safety, you’ll promote a higher quality of life for all your clients.

FALLS: When you begin caring for a new client, ask your supervisor if the client has a high risk and/or a history of falling.  The more you know about your client, the better prepared you’ll be to prevent falls. Report any changes you observe in each client’s physical, mental or emotional status.  Even small changes could trigger a reevaluation of the client’s fall risk. 

KITCHEN: Make sure you understand how to use your client’s kitchen equipment before turning   it on. Clean up all cooking messes as they happen in order to prevent a fire.  Just a little bit of oil splattered on a stove top can ignite and turn into a major fire. 

BED AND BATH: Consider moving the client’s bed against one wall (to minimize the chances of the client tumbling out of bed). Encourage the family to remove any lock on the bathroom door so that, if the client should fall, the family (or you) can get in the room quickly. 

HEATING PAD: Place a heating pad on top of—not underneath—the “target” body part. Advise your clients not to use a heating pad while they sleep. Make sure that clients who are on oxygen therapy don’t use heating pads.  It’s a fire hazard! 

FIRE: Never allow clients to smoke in bed.  Smoking in bed is the number one cause of fire in seniors’ homes. Know where fire extinguishers are located in your clients’ homes.  Using a fire extinguisher is easy if you remember the word, PASS.  It stands for:   Pull, Aim, Squeeze and Sweep. 

PROTECTING YOURSELF

• Make sure your supervisor knows your visit schedule.  If your schedule changes for some reason, call the office right away.
• Attach a whistle or chemical spray to your key ring.  Keep your keys ready—in your hand—while walking to and from your car.
• Never enter a home that has not been scheduled for a visit.  It’s best to confirm the visit by phone ahead of time.
• Do not enter a home if there is a visible threat to your safety such as drugs, weapons or unfriendly animals. 
• If anyone in the house, including the client, is intoxicated, abusive or making inappropriate advances toward you, end the visit right away.  Call your supervisor from a safe place.
• If a client’s home feels unsafe to you, ask your supervisor to send another aide with you or plan your visit to overlap with the visit of a nurse or therapist.

DISASTER PLANNING

• Be sure you know which types of natural disasters are common in your area so that you can be ready for them.  For example, hurricanes usually strike slowly.  You’ll probably have time to prepare yourself and your clients for this disaster.
• Your clients should be taught how to get a hold of you (and/or your workplace) during a disaster.
• Clients should also be encouraged to put together two disaster supply kits—one if they are confined to home because of a disaster and one if they are forced to leave home during an emergency.  For more information about disaster kits,  visit www.ready.gov.
• You probably learned about the emergency plan for your workplace during orientation.  However, it’s a good idea to review the plan every year.