How to Do Elder Home Care_ Slip And Fall Prevention

Help I've fallen are words in the elder home care business you don't want to hear. I have gotten phone calls saying Help I have fallen and it can scare you really bad.
Learn slip and fall prevention in your elder care whether it be an elderly parent or in your Home care for the elderly business. Elder caregivers are very important, take it seriously.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Lots of patience
• Listening ear
• Watchful eye

1. 

   First rule of thumb is to scope out the situation in your elder home care. They are trying to avoid the nursing home at all cost. So while you are doing elder home care learn to listen and keep a watchful eye. Slipping and falling comes with getting older.

2. 

   Does your home care client or elder you care for walk with a cane or walker? Some times they have more than one way to get around depending on what they are doing. I've known elders to have a walking stick, a 3 legged cane, a push walker and a scooter to ride on. So in the bathroom is there room for the scooter? Is the bathroom laid out to where they need a walker or cane instead? Take up all throw rugs. They are a hazard just waiting to happen. It's to easy too slip, fall and hit their heads.
   Also have plenty of handrails designed to hold the bodies weight. Getting in and out of the shower is a tripping or slip and fall situation.

3. 

   What about the kitchen is it carpeted or linoleum? You don't want the surface to be slick, or have rough spots that will trip the elder up. You don't want to hear help I've fallen. Get a textured linoleum for the kitchen. It's easier to clean up. Trust me there will be messes to clean up.

4. 

   The living room and bedrooms can be carpeted but it should be a very low pile. The higher the carpet the harder it is for the elderly person to walk. Again no throw rugs. Tripping on throw rugs is a very easy thing to do for all of us but with the elderly it's even more dangerous. My current clients had the non skid throw rugs in front of the chairs and sofa and they had an accident and had to call 911. The 911 responders told them to take the throw rugs and throw them away. So I took them out to the storage shed.

5. 

   I had a client that was for lack of a better term a total slob. He was being threatened with eviction from the Senior apartment he was living in. You need to remove clutter. Throw things away and put them away to avoid slip and fall situations.
   Get extention cords off the floor. If you have to have additional electrical outlets get a surge protector and keep it behind furniture and out of the walking path.

6. 

   Follow these few steps and you will reduce the chance for a fall. After all you are caring for the elderly and you want to do the best you can.

Tips & Warnings

• Comforters or bedspreads need to fit the bed and not reach the floor. They are to easy to slip and fall over.

Resources

• tips to prevent falls in elderly
• Scooter Warehouse

[pspmann222]

on 8/25/2009 www.slipdoctors.com

[pspmann222]

on 8/25/2009 look at Slip Doctors for some tile and floor treatments.

[smile-up]

on 7/23/2009 Thanks for the article. My Dad hit his head on the sink in the bathroom about a month ago. I don't know if he will make it back to his place (probably not) or to assisted living or an apartment near me. Whatever happens I am going to cover up the edges of sink.

[vallain]

on 1/21/2009 Falls are so dangerous for the elderly. I talked my mom into getting rid of their throw rugs.

[vallain]

on 1/21/2009 Falls are so dangerous for the elderly. I talked my mom into getting rid of their throw rugs.