What Should Be Your Safety Considerations When Working In A Home-based Environment

[Prisc Chandola]

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As we age, our homes should continue to be a place where we feel safe, secure, and comfortable. But research shows the exact opposite is sometimes true. A 2014 study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found 28.7% of adults over the age of 65 reported falling at least once in the last 12 months.1 Another study by the Hospital for Special Surgery found 60% of falls happen in the home.2 To help prevent falls and other accidents, you can make safety modifications to your environment and eliminate common hazards.

Useful for getting help in an emergency, medical alert devices often include a wearable help button, which, in the event of a fall or another emergency, the wearer can push to connect with a 24/7 monitoring center. Research shows a medical alert device can help give users a stronger sense of security and independence and can bring peace of mind, even for people not at high risk of falling.4

With some medical alert systems, you can set friends and family as emergency contacts. For example, when you push the button you can customize the alert to summon the operator as well as your first emergency contact. This can streamline your emergency phone tree and ensure your caregivers are the first people aware of an emergency.

When assessing the safety of the inside of the home, it might be easiest to go through each room, taking notes as you go, to spot potential hazards and make changes as needed. Be sure to use the tips below and our printable checklist.

When conducting your home assessment, pay special attention to the floor. Something as simple as a throw rug can bunch up under a walker, a cane, or your feet and easily turn into a fall hazard. Even traditional nonslip mats can become a hazard if the mat creates the slightest elevation rise between steps.

When assessing hallways, look for potential trip hazards, like throw rugs and thresholds, and consider adding handrails along the walls. Even if you or your loved one are fully mobile, installing a handrail is good for fall prevention. Adding bright contrast tape to uneven parts of the floor can help you be more aware when walking. If electrical cords or other lines or cables are crossing the path, relocate the device to another plug more out of the way to reduce the possibility of tripping over the cables.

The bedroom can harbor risks that disproportionately affect older adults, and awareness and proactive measures can help prevent potential accidents associated with bed and room falls, bedding hygiene, circulation issues, mattress safety, and fires.

Falling out of bed is a significant concern for older adults, as it can lead to severe injuries and a decline in overall quality of life. Bed falls may be caused by mobility issues resulting from reduced strength and balance, along with chronic health conditions. Medications, including benzodiazepines, antidepressants, sleep aids, and antihistamines, are associated with dizziness or imbalance, increasing the risk of falls. And, if an older adult has impaired vision, wakes frequently throughout the night, or the room is poorly lit or cluttered, these individuals are also at an increased risk of bed falls.

To lower the likelihood of a fall, we suggest making adjustments to the bed, such as placing it next to a wall, lowering the height, or switching to an adjustable base bed. Adding bed rails, keeping walkers close by, and adding foam bumpers as barriers are additional safety steps to prevent bed falls. Removing clutter and cords around the bed as well as using a bed alarm to alert caregivers when you are getting out of bed are added steps you can take to increase bed safety.

A softer mattress tends to contour to the body, allowing the sleeper to sink into the bed. While this can be comfortable for some, these beds are often difficult to rise from. Make sure the mattress is comfortable but firm, and avoid a soft or saggy mattress altogether.

Circulatory problems and heart disease go hand-in-hand since your heart is in charge of circulating your blood, and these circulation issues can lead to discomfort, numbness, and pain, making it challenging to find a comfortable sleeping position. In some cases, older adults may find relief only in specific sleep positions or with their feet hanging off the end of the bed, which may pose a safety hazard for falls or other injuries. Improving circulation can alleviate these issues and contribute to a safer, more comfortable sleep environment.

There are many strategies aimed at reducing circulation problems, including using pillows or an adjustable base to elevate the feet, getting regular exercise, and taking a warm bath before bed. Compression stockings, a healthy diet, and drinking plenty of water are additional steps that can be taken to improve problems with circulation.

Maintaining good bedding hygiene is crucial for both comfort and health. Unclean bedding can breed bacteria, which can lead to a host of issues like skin irritations and infections. Regularly washing sheets in hot water kills bacteria and germs. Wash at least once a week, more often if incontinence is an issue, and use a mattress protector to prevent moisture from seeping into the mattress.

Scented laundry detergents can irritate the skin, so we suggest opting for hypoallergenic, fragrance-free options to minimize reactions. Additionally, by practicing good skin hygiene, changing sleep positions often, and checking for pressure sores, you can help prevent skin issues that could result in an infection.

According to the American Burn Association, adults 65 and older are at much higher risk of injury and death from a kitchen fire due to physical, visual, hearing, or mental impairments, which may slow the quick action necessary in a fire emergency.7 If you have a hard time hearing, choose a detector that will alert you by sound and strobe lights. If you ever have a fire emergency or a detector goes off, call 911 immediately. You should not try to put out the fire yourself. Another helpful fire safety tip is to be aware of the flame height on burners when cooking with a gas stove and avoid wearing long sleeves that could easily catch fire.

If using knives, purchase pierce-resistant safety gloves to protect from cuts, and use a rubberized cutting board to prevent the knife from slipping while chopping. Vegetable choppers are a safe alternative to using knives to cut or dice foods.

Depending on how often you or your loved one leaves the home, making appropriate exterior modifications may be a good idea to keep your environment safe and comfortable. This starts with keeping entryways accessible by installing handrails and ramps, if needed, to get in and out of the home. Also make sure that lighting is working and is adequate by fully lighting up the space when it is dark.

Also, consider the impact of the elements on steps and walkways, which can degrade over time, causing these areas to break down and become uneven. Maintaining these high-traffic spaces is important for keeping your home free of fall hazards. If you start to notice bricks crumbling or the walkway becoming uneven, consult a concrete repair specialist.

Since electrical fires most commonly start in the bedroom, take care and avoid trapping electrical cords under bedding or against walls where heat can build up. Keep bedding, clothes, curtains, and other combustible items away from space heaters, and only use lab-approved electric blankets and warmers.

Properly fitting nonslip footwear, easy-to-open pill dispensers, and appropriate eyewear are just a few everyday items you can purchase to make independent living safer and more comfortable. Additionally, there are certain devices and products specifically created to help older adults age in place.

A medical alert system is a device that allows you to connect with a 24/7 monitoring center at the push of a button. With some medical alert systems, like HandsFree Health, you can customize it, so your caregiver receives your emergency alerts when you push the button for help. Other systems can give you the benefit of automatic fall detection, so if you fall, the system will automatically contact a monitoring center staff member who can call for help. A variety of systems are available for in-home or on-the-go lifestyles, so you can find one to fit your needs.

If you want extra guidance when making a home safer, consider using a home safety specialist. These professionals will perform an in-home consultation, make suggestions about how to make the environment safer, and will even install equipment or make modifications based on their suggestions. This can help take the pressure off of you to find all potential hazards and leave it to a person who specializes in home safety. These professionals include occupational and physical therapists and certified aging in place specialists.

If you have a Medicare Advantage plan, you may have more coverage for home modifications. These plans tend to offer additional benefits, which may include home modifications that are considered medically necessary. Keep in mind that Medicare Advantage plans vary from one state to another, so you should check the supplemental benefits offered where you live.

You can make your home safer by using our safety checklist to complete a room-by-room walk-through of your home. Take notes of all potential hazards and review our suggestions for minimizing risks and enacting prevention protocols.

A large majority of injury-causing accidents occur in the bathroom, making it one of the most hazardous rooms in the house. Some of the easiest modifications you can make to your home are adding grab bars and gripping mats to the bottom of your tub or shower. Adding a walk-in tub can help minimize the risk of a fall, though this is a pricy investment.

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