1. Safety in the Community
Being Safe While Bringing Care Home

2. Overview Giving care in a consumer’s home can be unpredictable.
Your safety, along with the safety of the consumer, is of the utmost importance.
Some general guidelines to help you stay safe:
Leave purse and any valuables behind, lock in trunk if possible.
Have confidence when walking to and entering a place.
Always carry a cell phone
Keep your guard up

3. Potential Hazards
Visiting consumers in strange neighborhoods and remote locations
No alarms and often no backup system
Visits after dark or in the early morning
Being aware of Universal Precautions for Violence doesn’t mean violence should be expected, but it doesn’t have to escalate if you are prepared
When you are prepared for anything, you can recognize when you’re in danger and take immediate action to protect yourself.
Strange neighborhoods or remote locations – good idea to scout out the area ahead of time to familiarize your self with the area
No alarms and no back-up system – because you are alone in a consumers home there is no one to come at a moments notice to your aide.
Try to keep visit to daylight hours when possible

4. Preparation is Key
To protect yourself, be prepared before you visit a consumer.
A good predictor of violence is a history of violence
Find out if there is a history of violence, mental illness, or drug and alcohol abuse
Carry a fully charged cell-phone, and if possible a hand held alarm, noise devise or pepper spray
All information will be given to you by your supervisor so you will be prepared prior to your visit.

5. Preparation is Key
If a situation is extremely dangerous, remove yourself if possible and call supervisor for instructions.
Map out directions and a safe way to leave quickly if you need to
Have a full gas tank and correct air pressure in tires
Wear loose comfortable clothing and shoes
Know the neighborhood you are visiting:
Are gangs in the neighborhood, what gang is it and what are their colors, don’t wear gang related colors
Is there a history of violence in the neighborhood

6. Dealing with Difficult Consumers or Family Members
Assault Cycle:
Triggering event: experiencing some type of loss or a threat prior to your arrival or while you are there
Escalation phase: the person may have these signs
Flushed or twitching face or shallow breathing
Angry posture or pacing
Demands attention or acts upset
Gets loud or seems drunk or drugged
Uses the index finger to point
Eyes darting around quickly

7. Dealing with Difficult Consumers or Family Members
Attack or Assault Phase:
The person becomes violent
Recovery Phase:
Frustration or anger seems to disappear and the person starts to relax and calm down, but could still become violent
Post Crisis Phase:
The person gets quiet and may feel sorry for what they have done

8. Prevent and Diffuse Potentially Violent Situations
Keep your back to the exit
Listen to what they are saying and don’t interrupt
Move and speak slowly
Don’t get too close or touch the person
Break eye contact
Speak softly
Avoid interpreted aggressive behavior
Tell them you want to help figure out what to do, but don’t make promises
Be aware of your body language
Don’t cross arms or put hands in pockets
Don’t be defensive, be respectful
Don’t take risks
Trust your instincts

9. Protect Yourself Calm down and leave immediately
Follow your agency policies on what to do next
Call for help if necessary
Report any incidents immediately per our worker’s comp policy, get medical treatment if you have been injured and use the employee assistance program if needed.
Remember, injuries may not be apparent for several hours

10. Reporting and Recordkeeping
Good record keeping:
Helps your agency determine the severity of the problem
Prevents future problems
Helps to identify training needs
Some reasons why cases of violence go unreported:
Workers don’t want to fill out paperwork
Some workers assume violence “goes with the territory”
Workers believe it will reflect badly on their job performance

11. Reporting and Recordkeeping
If you don’t report a problem your co-workers could be injured too
If you were physically assaulted all records should include:
Who was attacked or assaulted
The type of attack and how you were injured
The person who was violent or aggressive
A description of where it happened
Lost work time that resulted

12. Reporting and Recordkeeping
Your agency is required to report and record abuse, verbal attacks or aggressive behavior – even if it did not result in injury – including:
Pushing or shouting
Sexual harassment or threats
Cursing
Stalking
All information about a past violent episode should be recorded on the consumer’s chart

13. Conclusion Know potential hazards Be prepared
Know the Assault cycle and what to look for
Protect yourself
Follow recordkeeping guidelines