Working in home care, it’s not always rosy!
Do you think that home care is always rosy? Not at all. The best can be found alongside the worst and it is the worst that we will focus on.
Morbid squalor has significant consequences on the health and safety of the healthcare professionals in home care. A dwelling where maintenance is neglected (piles of discarded items, trash, overcrowding, infestations, mold, etc.) threatens their health and complicates the delivery of care. Such situations are often associated with mental health problems in the clientele, such as dementia, schizophrenia and obsessive compulsive disorders.
Since the worker’s workplace is also the living environment of the client, this particular reality must be dealt with and a distinction must absolutely be made between the rights and obligations of the caregiver, her employer and the client. The healthcare professional has a legal obligation to take the measures necessary to protect her health and physical well-being. She must also participate in the identification of the risks for work accidents and occupational diseases. The worker has a responsibility to inform her employer of all unhygienic situations.
Every physical, biological or chemical threat must be the subject of an appropriate action. Indeed, the planning of an intervention in the home in hygienic situations becomes a priority. Every party has a responsibility in this respect. She can get help from the families and other professionals according to their field of expertise and the needs of the client. Do not forget that we cannot force a person considered mentally competent to receive services or to leave her/his home. Therefore, the various points of view must be reconciled; that of the party providing the service, the client and that of her/his family caregivers.
Lastly, the ASSTSAS has produced an excellent prevention guide for the worker on interventions in the home in morbidly unhygienic situations. This guide (French version) can be consulted on its website by clicking on the following link: http://www.asstsas.qc.ca/documents/Publications/Repertoire de nos publications/Autres/Guide_insalubrite_2012.pdf
Do you know ?
The wearing of disposable attire, though unattractive, is a very effective protective measure whenyou are giving care in an infested environment.
There is a prevention grid for home care interventions in morbidly unhygienic situations provided bythe ASSTSAS. To consult it (French version): www.asstsas.qc.ca
The Tobacco Act does not apply to private homes. However, you can ask the client not to smokeduring your visit, or even to abstain from smoking for one-half hour prior to your arrival or even toair out the room.
Domestic animals can also represent dangers of contamination, allergies and assault. You mustdiscuss with the client that the animal be restrained or confined in another room during your visit.
Animal and human urine can be dangerous due to the ammonia gases that it releases. If youexperience irritations of the nose and throat when you arrive at a client’s home, you can ask that theroom be aired out and that the most soiled areas be washed.
Several situations can exist in the home of a client in a morbidly unhygienic situation. If yourassessment is that the work environment may compromise your health and your safety or is clearlydangerous, inform your immediate superior as soon as possible or a representative of the employerin order that the necessary measures are taken to ensure your protection.