One of the essential aspects of healthcare is safety. At Aspire Home Health and Hospice, we are committed to doing everything we can to keep our patients safe in their homes. Although we cannot provide items for our patients’ homes, we do work with their families to help them make the homes as safe as possible. Because home safety is so paramount, it’s one of the first things we check for on a home visit. This blog will go over the major things we look for in our patients’ houses to ensure they’re as safe as possible.
Lighting
Lighting is critical to safety. If a person is unable to see where they’re going correctly, serious injury could occur. That’s why we do everything we can to help our patients’ families ensure there is plenty of light in every room. We also help families make sure that the patient has a flashlight by their bed if they need to get up in the night. In addition, we’ll recommend there is sufficient lighting on stairs and night lights in bedrooms, bathrooms, and hallways.
Flooring
One of the most common forms of injury in the home is tripping over rugs and loose carpeting. So, we’ll recommend making sure all rugs and carpets in the house are secured. We’ll also help families make cleaning adjustments to only use no-wax cleaner on tile floors to avoid slips and falls.
Stairways
On stairways, we want to eliminate falls to the best of our ability. That’s why we help families make sure handrails are on both sides of all stairways – both inside and outside. We also check to see if there is a light switch at the top and bottom of each stairway and place a color strip on the top and bottom stair. Nonstick threads also help eliminate falls on stairways.
Fire Safety
We will help families check to ensure all smoke alarms are correctly installed and functional. In addition, we’ll help make sure the patient’s home has a fire extinguisher.
Bathroom
Most household accidents occur in the bathroom. We help the family make sure the bathroom is safe by assisting them in finding grab bars to put in the tub or shower and by the toilet. We also check for a nonslip bath strip or mat inside the tub or shower. Depending on the patient, we may also recommend a bath bench.
Kitchen
Making sure often-used items are easy to reach and having a one-step stool with side railings are great ways to make the kitchen as safe as possible.
Furniture and Appliances
We will check all walking paths to make sure they are clear of any furniture, electric cords, and other such items.
If you’d like more information on how Aspire can assist with home safety for yourself or a loved one, please give us a call today!
