Rules for Home Health Care Safety

Home health care is a popular alternative to traditional assisted living facilities, nursing homes, hospice, and in some instances, extended hospital stays. Home health care services can be provided by a health care service, at-home nurses or even trained family members. Because individuals receiving home health care services are in need of medical assistance, it is important to follow a few simple safety rules when providing assistance in the home.

Install Safety Rails

• Even for someone who only temporarily requires home health care assistance, it is important to install safety rails in the home. These rails can be tailored to the patient's needs and should be placed in areas where the patient could fall or may require assistance sitting or standing, such as in the bath or shower, down a hall or stairwell and in the bedroom near closets or other doorways. These rails are made to support a person's body weight and can be angled so that the patient has the best leverage possible when using the rails.

Use a Monitor

• Use of a monitor when providing home health care can be especially beneficial for patients experiencing a limited range of motion. These monitors can vary from walkie-talkie type radios to baby monitors that allow the home health care technician to audibly monitor the patient when in another room. Using a monitor can help the patient to receive assistance when they need it without yelling, or to easily call for help in case of an accident or emergency situation when the health care technician is not in the room.

Training

• All home health care workers, even family members, should undergo some type of health care training prior to providing home health care services to ensure that they are providing adequate care for the patient and his medical condition. This training could be as simple as consulting with the patient's doctor, or as extensive as formal medical training. Anyone seeking to work professionally in home health care will have to have completed formal training and certification programs before being allowed to provide services to a patient.