Safety, Emergency, and Infection Control
Preventing harm
Safety starts with knowing who is at risk. Fall-risk residents need the call light within reach, the bed in the low position with brakes locked, non-skid footwear, clear pathways, and frequent checks. Answer call lights quickly. Report every fall or near-fall; after a fall, do not move the resident until you have checked for injury and notified the nurse.
Emergencies. For fire, use RACE - Rescue anyone in danger, Alarm, Contain the fire (close doors), Extinguish or Evacuate - and PASS for the extinguisher: Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep. Evacuate horizontally first. For a choking conscious resident, give abdominal thrusts; if they become unresponsive, start CPR. For a seizure, protect the head, do not restrain and put nothing in the mouth, time it, and turn the resident to the side afterward. Recognize stroke with FAST: Face droop, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, Time to call.
Infection control. Break the chain of infection at the most common link: your hands. Wash with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after resident contact, and always with soap and water after using the bathroom, before eating, and when caring for a resident with C. difficile. Alcohol rub is fine otherwise. Use standard precautions with all body fluids. Don and doff PPE in order; remove gloves first and the mask last, then wash hands. Never recap needles; drop sharps into the red container. Follow contact, droplet, and airborne precautions, and never wear PPE out of the room.
Trap to watch
Gloves do not replace hand hygiene, and a resident on isolation still needs dignity, activity, and visitors.
Rule of thumb: for any emergency, your first move is to keep the resident and yourself safe, then call for help, then report.