Rosie Bridger 541817 Lisa
Unit 3
P1
Understanding potential hazards in health and social care
Residental care setting/older adults
Physical environment
In an older adult care home setting, the physical environment that surronds them can be filled with lots of hazards such as wires being left out, example a hoover, where the older adult didn’t notice it and tripped and fallen and hurt themselves. A big hazard that is often heard of is the flooring of a care home, where it is quite common as for an older adult to trip and fall on uneven flooring, where again can result in a serious accident. The bathroom in a care home, is probably the most dangerous room for hazards, if there is no grab rail if the older adult slips and falls, they can be hurt, so it is always really important to make sure there is always a grab rail. At this life stage of an older adult, it becomes harder for them to do certain things such as climbing stairs like they used to be able to as the stairs can become too steep for them or too long for them to walk up. Stairlifts should be provided in all care homes, so the older adults don’t have to strain themselves walking up the stairs if they find it too difficult.
Equipment
In an older care home setting, the equipment needs to be used correctly and dangerous equipment kept out of reach from older adults that could use and harm themselves. The hoist is used a lot in a care home setting and when a member of staff is using it for an older adult, the member of staff must have been trained to use it properly for the safety of the older adult, the hoist is used to lift an older adult, such as lifting the older adult from their bed to a chair, when using the hoist the member of staff needs to be strapping in the older adult while they are laying on the bed making sure the straps are on properly so they are not straining their