In-Home Caregiver Tips: How to Fall-Proof a Home

1. In-Home Caregiver Tips: How to Fall-Proof a Home As an in-home caregiver, one of your primary responsibilities is to keep your clients safe. One of the most important ways to do so as you provide in-home care is to fall-proof their homes. Falls are a leading cause of injury among seniors, with about 95 percent of hip fractures occurring because of them. Fortunately, many of these falls are preventable with the right kind of caregiving services. Following are a few steps you can take to fall-proof your clients' homes as you provide senior care. Clean up the floors. Tripping can easily lead to a fall. To prevent these kinds of accidents as an in-home caregiver, you should keep the floor clear. Items you need to remove include not only general clutter but also throw rugs and wires (which can be secured behind furniture or taped to the wall to make sure they stay out of the way). When you first take a caregiving job, you should also consider rearranging furniture (with your client's permission) to create open spaces that make it easier for them to get around. Improve lighting throughout the house. When you start a caregiving job, look for areas of the home that do not receive ample light. Poor lighting can make it harder for seniors to see tripping hazards. Part of your caregiving services should include improving lighting in these areas. In addition, consider adding light to your client's night and morning routines. For instance, add night lights in key areas, such as the bedroom and hallways. Also, make sure your client can reach a lamp from bed so they can see the room as they get up. This type of thoughtful in-home care will make it less likely that your client will fall because they cannot see. Slip-proof the floors, bathrooms, and stairs. Slipping can also lead to falls for a senior. As a result, as a caregiver, you should consider slip- proofing the floors, bathrooms, and stairs. This includes securing the carpets to the floors, and installing slip-proof mats in the bathrooms, tubs, and on the stairs. In addition, you may wish to consider installing items such as handlebars next to the toilet and in the shower and ensuring that the banisters on the stairs are secure. These items give your client something to hold onto to improve their balance, even if they do slip. Make important items easy to reach. Finally, as a provider of caregiving services for your client, you should make frequently-used items easy to reach. For instance, place towels within arms' reach in the closet, and place clothes within reach in the dressers. Doing so will keep your home health services client from losing their balance while reaching for inaccessible items. Providing caregiving services means doing what you can to keep your client safe. By fall proofing their home, you can provide in-home care that keeps them both safer and healthier in their homes. Sources: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-to-senior-proof-your-home-in-order-to-prevent-unnecessary-falls/ http://www.nsc.org/learn/safety-knowledge/Pages/safety-at-home-falls.aspx http://www.techenhancedlife.com/articles/fall-proofing-your-house-checklist