In-Home Health Care

Not all individuals that need long term care require the amount or supervision or assistance that is offered by nursing homes. These people may only need the support of a routine visit by a care giver. To ensure that the person in need of care maintains a healthy and safe lifestyle, there are steps that should be taken to make the individuals home as safe and living friendly as possible.

Bathroom Safety

The bathroom is the site of many accidents due to the slippery surfaces that are often present, combined with the fact that as people age, their bones and muscles deteriorate, making them more susceptible to injury during a fall. The door to the bathroom should be at least 32 inches wide in order to accommodate most wheel chairs. The door should open out as and should be able to be unlocked from the outside. The floor of the bathroom should be equipped with a non-slip surface and a telephone should be present incase the need for an emergency call should arise. The telephone should be placed in a location that could be accessible by a person who has fallen and cannot reach high locations within the bathroom. The phone should also be accessible from the toilet or the bathtub.

Bathtub

The bottom of the tub should be covered with a non-slip surface and a ledge on which a person could sit should be present. The tub should be equipped with grab bars to prevent falls as well as an anti-scald device to ensure that a burn does not occur.

Shower

A fold down seat should be present in the shower as well as an easy-to-reach shelf for the storage of shampoos and soaps. The floor of the shower should have a non-slip surface and the shower itself should have an anti-scald device.

Grab Bars

The grab bars that are installed should be able to support the weight of a person who weighs at least 250 pounds. The bars should be one 1 ¼ - 1 ½ inches around and there should be 1 ¼ inches between the bar and the wall. The bars should be attached to wall studs.