Home Care Safety for the Caregiver
Improving support and safety throughout the home:
- Have smoke detectors installed near kitchen and bedrooms
- Have safety rails in showers and tubs
- Install handrails up stairs and in bathrooms
- Use non-slip flooring in kitchens and bathrooms
- Remove any loose rugs
- Move furniture around to create less confusion
- Remove any dangling telephone cords
- Mirrors can distort the loved one's view when walking, and should not be placed where they can easily be bumped into
Ways to correct visibility and lighting problems:
- Use bright, vivid colors to light up rooms
- Make sure hallways and stairways are well lit
- Lighted switch plates make finding switches at night easier
- Have night lights in between bedrooms and bathrooms
- Use easily reached cords that can turn a light on and off in closets
- Basements should be very well lit considering the steepness of stairs going up and down
Methods to improve movement and sight throughout the house:
- Use rails in beds to support movement getting in and out of bed
- Use lever handle door knobs instead of circular knobs
- Use a flexible shower head and a chair for your loved one to sit on when bathing
- If they are wheelchair bound, have a ramp installed that can be used to get them up the front steps or stairways
- Use large button telephones
- Clocks should be large enough with both numbers and dials easily seen
- A commode near their bed can be used in emergencies
- Shelving in closets should sit low enough for easy access
- Place a raised toilet seat in their bathroom
- Chairs need to sit high enough and be supported by arm rests so there is some security when they sit