How to Do Slip and Fall Prevention In Your Elder Home Care Business_Part 2

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 my wife has fallen and it scared me.
If your client does take a fall bad enough to break something, they will be taken to the hospital. From there to either a nursing home or another facility for rehabilitation. I had a client this happened to and before he could return to the senior apartment in which he lived it had to be evaluated to see if it was up to code. You need to learn what to look for to help slip and fall prevention in your elder care whether it be an elderly parent or in your home care business.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Lots of patience
• Listening ear
• Watchful eye

1. Scope out the situation in your home care business or in the home of an aged parent. You are trying to avoid the nursing home stay. It is not cheap and they don't want to be there. To most elderly people hearing nursing home means death sentence. Look for things that might cause them to slip, trip or fall.

2. I had clients that lived in their own condo's, senior apartment and mobile home in a senior park. No matter where the home is it needs to be up to code for the elderly person you are caring for. Look at the carpet they had laid. What kind is it? Can they move around easily? Can they stumble on anything? It needs to be a very low, smooth carpet. Their walkers need to be able to glide across it. if it's not have them replace it, hopefully before moving in.

3. What about the door ways to the bedroom and bathroom? Are they the standard narrow doors? If they are have them replace them. They need to be the wider doors that wheelchair's, scooters and walkers can fit through easily. If they are fighting to get through the doorway there is a chance of losing their balance and falling.

4. Now what does the shower or tub look like? Does it have wide doors? Does it have a high step stiff knees will have to try to get over? Does it have handles to hold onto? There are so many different kinds of showers to choose from. Make sure the elder can get in the shower with ease. Even if they are wheelchair bound there are showers for them to use. Look around and choose the right one.

5. Now lets move to the outside of the home. Is there a wheelchair ramp, steps or both? Not all seniors or elders need a ramp but using the one can be easier than managing steps. Make sure the ramp is long enough so it's not to steep. Make sure it has hand rails. If it is painted wood, rough up the paint like you would the pier down at the lake. Put some sand in the paint before painting your ramp. A little texture helps grip the shoe helping the slip and fall issue. After all in your elder care, you want to do slip and fall prevention

6. Following these few steps will reduce the chance of falling. Home Care for the Elderly is a high demand job. Be the best caregiver you can possibly be

Tips & Warnings

• Handles on the doors are not a safety issue but if your client has arthritis you want the kind the push down not turn.

Resources

• Join Bukisa

[Smireles]

on 9/22/2009 Good instructions for preparing a home for the elderly and fall prevention.