Home Safety Checklist for Caregivers

If you're a carer at home, it's important to take a more critical look at the safety of your environment.

To help keep your home safe, consider the following points.

Living Areas:

• Remove unnecessary furniture (e.g., coffee tables, magazine racks, and floor lamps) and objects (e.g., shoes and toys) to prevent trips and falls
• Get rid of small, slippery rugs
• Make sure stairway handrails are sturdy and stairs are carpeted to prevent slipping
• Keep emergency numbers near all of the phones in the home

Kitchen:

• Install safety knobs and automatic shut-off switches on the oven and stove to help prevent burns or fire
• Set your water heater's temperature to 120 degrees or less to avoid scalding
• Make sure carbon monoxide and smoke detectors are installed and working properly (not just in kitchen, but throughout the home)

Bedroom:

• Remove locks from bedroom and bathroom doors
• Install nightlights in the bedroom, hallways, and bathroom or keep a dim light on during the night
• Make sure all medications are clearly labeled and kept locked up
• Install grab bars that help make it easier to get in and out of the tub and on and off the toilet

Bathroom

• Install grab rails
• Consider a shower seat
• Footrest for the toilet