Caregiver Giving Safety

Even coordinated younger adults can find the slippery surfaces in the bathroom tricky territory. Common bathroom safety improvements for seniors to provide a caregiver safety can include:

• Installing safety grab bars in the shower or using a shower seat.
• Adding a grip pad in the shower, ideally in a colour high in contrast to the colour of the tub. This will make it clear where it’s safe to step. 
• Installing a raised toilet seat to make it easier for the person you’re caring for to stand up and sit down when using the toilet.

Making sure that the person in your care has a safe environment to call home is one of the most important responsibilities you will have as a caregiver. A thorough home safety inspection for seniors will help you determine if you need to make some changes to the home or need to install home safety products, whether the elderly person in need of care lives independently or with you. Before you start making changes, make sure you involve the person in your care with any planned improvements in their home. A basic home caregiver safety for seniors is needed that you can use as a caregiver to create a safer living environment for those in your care.

Here are some ideas for caregiver training sessions you may want to plan to practice the right actions for caregiver safety:

• Transferring clients. Train caregivers on proper transferring/lifting techniques and on the use of patient lifts, such as the Hoyer Lift. Make sure caregivers have the proper training and supplies necessary when called on to transfer a client from one location to another.
• Bathing. Caregivers must know proper techniques and helpful tips for bathing clients who struggle with various physical challenges.
• Alzheimer’s and dementia. Caregivers need to know how to work with clients who suffer from these illnesses. Caregivers need to be aware of the symptoms and know how to provide consistent, reassuring, and compassionate care.
• Incontinence care. Prepare caregivers for what it may take to keep clients clean, dry and safe, and how to help clients keep their dignity despite potentially difficult or embarrassing situations.
• Colostomy and catheter training. Offer caregivers training depending on what they can or can’t do according to your state licensing regulations when clients need help with these conditions. Caregivers may need to be trained in tasks such as proper/sanitary methods for emptying waste and keeping clients clean and dry.
• Safety. Caregivers and clients need to be safe in all situations. Safety training can cover on-the-job safety for caregivers and in-the-home safety for clients.
• Company policies, procedures and goals. Educate and update your caregivers about your company, your expectations and your business goals. They need to know how valuable they are to you and how they can help your business succeed. Caregivers also need to know your policies for overtime, scheduling, reimbursements, communication, etc.
• Cooking. This may seem like a simple thing, but sometimes clients mention, during interviews with us, that their caregiver was supposed to cook meals, but she couldn’t cook or didn’t know how to cook their favorite foods. Caregivers may need basic cooking tips or simple menu plans to help them learn what clients what kind of food they would like to eat.
• Death and dying. Caregivers may have to deal with a client’s terminal illness or death. It can be difficult to lose a client who has become a good friend, and they may benefit from training to help them deal with their emotions in these situations. Perhaps also train them on how to assist a client or a client’s family who is dealing with shock, grief or loss.

The large majority of people prefer to age in their own homes, which means that as abilities change due to age or illness the home environment also needs to change. Many fixes around the home to ensure a safer place are free and easy to do for caregiver safety, while others may incur a cost and require professional help. Before you start making changes, make sure you involve the person in your care with any planned improvements in their home.