Safe Homecare for Your Ailing Loved Ones

If you thought medical errors were only restricted to hospitals, you are probably misinformed.

Globally, as many as 4 in 10 patients are harmed in outpatient settings with up to 80% of those medical errors preventable, according to a white paper released by the nonprofit Foundation for the Innovation and Development of Health Safety.

With our formal health care system becoming increasingly stressed in the recent past, more patients are being discharged early from the hospital. This results in many of them failing to receive optimum post-hospitalization care. They become victims of relapses, which disrupt their treatment cycle and hampers their entire recovery process. This is where continuum care comes into the picture. It is continued care of patients after discharge to complete the recovery process and one of the most integral aspects of effective continuum care is safe homecare.

So how are you addressing the safety of your ailing loved ones at home?

Need help?

Here’s a list of safety tips for you to keep handy.

1. Minimize Falls

Falls or accidents are very common in patients due to deterioration in health.

This is how they can be minimized-

• Declutter the surroundings from unnecessary furniture, wires, etc. which can cause patients to stumble and fall.
• Ensure the furniture used by the patient isn’t wobbly and unstable.
• Remove slippery rugs from the room.
• Use anti-slip rubber mats and anti-slip bathroom chemical solution in the bathroom around the shower area and toilet.
• Fix grab bars near the shower area and toilet.
• Shower chairs can be used in the shower for convenience.
• Use a raised toilet seat with armrests to maintain balance while getting on or off the toilet.
• An extra-long mirror over the sink can be used which allows the patient to sit instead of standing for a very long time.
• Use anti-slip stair tape to prevent falls on the stairs.
• Use stairlifts.
• Opt for easy slide walkers.
• Choose a broad base and sturdy walking stick for supported movement.
• Use fiber crutches that are light and easy to handle.
• Ensure the surroundings are well lit.
• Make electrical switches accessible to the patient.
• Battery operated wheelchairs provide mobility without dependence.

You can contact Sukino for more information on the above safety products.

• Make a checklist of the medicines/injections to be administered and investigations to be conducted to avoid gaps in the treatment.

• Keep emergency numbers e.g. doctor, ambulance, etc. Handy on the fridge, on a pin-up board, or as a sticky note on the wardrobe for immediate access.

• Ensure someone is attending to or is around the patient at all times to avoid mishaps.

• Get help- Take professional assistance from certified and experienced homecare nurses and managed homecare services to ensure a seamless treatment protocol. Also, ensure that you hire professional help from a reliable homecare service provider to avoid any untoward incidents like thefts or patients being mistreated. Sukino can help you here.

• Opt for a continuum care facility- Constantly attending to the needs of a patient can be very overwhelming. Additionally, arranging for individual services can be expensive and exhausting for the patient to visit different centers. A continuum care facility is a one-stop shop for all the treatment a patient needs to recover smoothly at an affordable cost.

We are India’s 1^st and only continuum care providers with multi-disciplinary post-hospital care.

At the end of the day, safety is not a gadget but a state of mind. Think safe, keep safe, and be safe.