Home Safety Guidelines
FIRE RESPONSE:
- Call 911 or emergency number for your area.
- Use smoke detectors near all bedrooms and on every floor of your home.
- Keep fire extinguishers in the home, especially in high risk areas such as kitchen.
- Plan a place to meet outside the home if you have to evacuate for a fire.
- Plan at least 2 exit paths from each room of your home in case of a fire.
- Heat your home safely. Keep portable heaters at least 3 feet away from people and objects.
- Install carbon monoxide detector for extra protection.
- Never smoke in bed.
EMERGENCY RESPONSE:
- What is your fire plan? Where will you exit? Where will you meet?
- Where will you take cover if a tornado warning occurs?
- Keep emergency telephone numbers for fire, ambulance, and police close to or on each phone.
ELECTRICAL SAFETY:
- Check electrical cords for wear. Discard all cords that are frayed or have exposed wires.
- Ground all 3-pronged plug adapters.
OXYGEN USE:
- Place “No Smoking” sign on all entrances to your home. The company that provides your oxygen can provide you with these signs.
- Do NOT use more than 50 feet of tubing between the oxygen source and the patient.
- Do NOT place oxygen tanks within 1.5 feet of windows, doors or other items.
- Do NOT allow open flames such as pilot lights or gas stoves or water heaters within 12 feet of any oxygen equipment or tubing.
- Place the telephone number of your electric company on or at every telephone. Call them immediately if you experience a power outage.
MEDICATION:
- Store all medications out of the reach of children.
- Secure the caps on medication bottles.
- Store syringes behind a closed door and do not talk to others about the fact that you have syringes in your home.
- Never expose medications, in or out of bottles, to sunlight.
- Set a med planner to organize medicines and to indicate when they should be taken.
INFECTION PREVENTION:
- All caregivers need to wear gloves when handling blood or body fluids.
- Do laundry regularly and change soiled linens promptly.
- Ask your home health provider about disposing of syringes and other wastes.
- Practice good personal hygiene, especially hand-washing.
- Properly store foods. Check expiration date.