Safety Tips For In Home Caregivers and Senior Citizens

Caregivers and seniors can work together to reduce the risk of injury in the home. Even though licensed care giving professionals are trained to spot potential dangers having the in home resident share their insights can help to address risk situations native to the particular home. Both parties need to follow a few basic tips to avoid serious injuries.

Medication Safety

Always consult your physician before taking prescription drugs and non-prescription drugs. Trash any used or expired medicines. Medication should be dispensed through a bubble wrap or other convenient tool which allows for effective and reliable dosages. In home caregivers and their clients should both make a concerted effort to be safe concerning medications in the home. Avoid mixing drugs with alcohol unless given the OK by your physician. Do not use prescription drugs from friends or family and ensure that medications are labeled before either administering or taking medications to address health problems. Avoid any unfortunate accidents by carefully reading dosage levels.

Safety in the Kitchen

Toss out food that’s spoiled by checking expiration dates. Both caregivers and home residents should keep an eye on these dates to prevent any food poisoning or other unpleasant sickness. Be careful around the stove. Don’t wear long, flowing clothing around the burners to prevent fire risks. Care givers should place the heaviest food items in the kitchen at waist level so seniors can easily access these products. Sharp, dangerous knives should be placed in a rack to reduce the risk of injury. Clean floors regularly. Make the kitchen area less inviting to rodents and decrease the likelihood of someone slipping on a kitchen floor spill. Breaking a hip could be fatal to a person of advanced age.

Bathroom Safety Insight

Make it a point to bathe when your caregiver is present to avoid any accidents in the tub or shower. Door locks should allow for opening from both sides. To prevent scalding mark hot and cold faucets clearly. It’s easy to mistakenly overlook the color scheme for someone with poor vision. Bath mats and tub mats should both be skid proof to prevent any nasty tumbles on wet surfaces. Caregivers should think through potential hazards in the bathroom to avoid any dangerous situations. Don’t forget to leave bathroom lights on during night time hours. Make it easy for someone to find their way into the bathroom if they need to make a visit during overnight hours.

Other Tips

Staircases should be well lit with light switches located at the top and bottom of the stair wells. Buy sturdy railing to brace residents in the case of a fall suffered while walking up or down the stairwell. Don’t coat floors with slippery waxes and pick up any spills quickly to make life easier on senior residents. High traffic areas should be free from telephone or cable chords. It may be a good idea to have a buddy system or medic alert in place in the case of an emergency. In home caregiver professionals should think safety first to avoid any potentially dangerous situations.