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Senior Safety Desk

Supplements, medicines and home safety for older adults, written for the people who care for them

Caregiving and Home Safety Guide: Answers to Common Questions

Maybe it started with a fall that seemed minor, or with pills that no longer look right in the box. Maybe you are the one who is worn down in a way a good night’s sleep does not fix. Caregiving often begins small and grows faster than anyone plans.

This guide follows that path one step at a time. You will find what to watch for, how to make the home safer, how to check medicines and supplements, and how to plan breaks for yourself.

Short answer: keep a written record of what has changed, make the home safer where most injuries happen, and check every medicine and supplement with a pharmacist or clinician before anything new is added.

Fact What it shows
Who this guide is for Family caregivers who notice a change in someone they look after, or who feel stretched thin themselves.
Most common home injuries Falls, poisoning (including drug overdoses) and burns, according to Ready.gov.
Scale of the problem Ready.gov says millions of people seek medical attention every year after being injured at home.
Supplement heart-tracing finding In a 2017 systematic review, 8 of 26 supplement studies found a significant change in QT/QTc intervals, measured on the heart’s electrical tracing.
Supplement adverse event reports A 2023 narrative review counts 79,071 supplement-related adverse events reported to the FDA from 2004 to 2021.
Needs a provider soon New confusion, a fall, or any chance someone took too much of a medicine. Call the clinician today. For a possible overdose or poisoning, call emergency services now.

Step 1: Name what has changed

You are here because something is different. It might be the person you care for, or it might be you. Name it in plain words before you try to fix it.

There is no single checklist of caregiver stress that fits every family. Use these three questions to check yourself:

  1. Are you sleeping less, or waking up tired?
  2. Have you snapped at the person you care for, or cried more than usual?
  3. Have you stopped seeing friends or doing the things you used to enjoy?

A yes to any of them is a signal to plan for support, not a verdict on how you are doing. Start with a daily function log so the changes you notice stay clear.

If the change is in the person you care for, write down what you see and when it started. The site’s guide on new confusion in an older adult explains what to record.

What this means for you: Write one line a day for one week: what changed, when, and what you did about it. Bring that record to the next visit instead of a summary from memory.

Read next

Feeling Trapped as a Caregiver: What to Do Next: practical first moves when the load feels like too much.

Once you know what has changed, the next question is whether the home is adding to the risk.

Step 2: Make the home safer, starting with the big three

Your home is where much of the risk sits, and it is often easier to change than it looks. Ready.gov names falls, poisoning (including drug overdoses) and burns as common causes of injury at home.

Walk through the house once with those three in mind:

  • Falls: look for loose rugs, dim lights on the path to the bathroom, clutter on the floor and worn footwear.
  • Poisoning: keep medicines and household chemicals in one place, up and out of reach, in their original labeled containers.
  • Burns: check the stove, the hot water at the bathroom tap, and keep hot drinks and pans away from the edge of counters.

Keep a first-aid kit ready too. The American Red Cross list that Ready.gov cites for a family of four includes a first-aid guide, adhesive bandages, antibiotic ointment, gauze, a thermometer and two triangular bandages. Ready.gov also says to ask your doctor or pharmacist about other items, including naloxone, and to customize the kit to the people in your home.

Ready.gov points to first-aid classes through groups such as the American Red Cross, local government programs and the YMCA. It notes that programs differ in cost, so read the course details first.

What this means for you: Pick one room this week and fix the three risks there. Then move to the next room. A safer home is built one room at a time.

Read next

The Essential Home Safety Checklist for Aging Gracefully: a room-by-room list to work through.

If safety also means doors and windows, the site’s break-in safety checklist covers that side of the house.

Falls need their own record, because a pattern is easier to see on paper than in memory.

Step 3: Track every fall and near-fall

Falls top Ready.gov’s list of common home injuries, so they deserve their own record. Write down near-falls too, because they often show what is going wrong before anyone is hurt.

For each event, note:

  1. The date, time and room.
  2. What the person was doing, such as getting up at night, walking to the bathroom or reaching for a high shelf.
  3. What was going on, such as dizziness, a new medicine, poor light or hurrying.
  4. Whether anyone was hurt, and what happened next.

A clear list of times and places is easier to act on at an appointment than a summary from memory. The falls and near-falls tracking log gives you these fields on one page. For causes in the room itself, the fall-risk changes guide covers lighting, rugs, footwear and mobility notes.

What this means for you: Note any new medicine or supplement in the same log. If a change in pills and a fall happen close together, show both to the pharmacist.

Read next

How to Track Falls and Near-Falls for a Clinician: one simple log to fill in after every event.

The next step is to check every pill, vitamin and supplement in the house.

Step 4: Check every medicine and supplement

A supplement can feel safe because it sits on a store shelf. Two studies show why that feeling needs a check.

A 2017 systematic review in the Journal of Dietary Supplements looked at 26 published supplement studies of heart effects. Eight found a significant change in QT/QTc intervals, which are measured on the heart’s electrical tracing. More than 30% showed some degree of ECG change, and the review calls for continued heart safety assessment of supplements.

A 2023 narrative review in Innovations in Pharmacy looked at adverse event reports. It counts 79,071 supplement-related events reported between 2004 and 2021. The review argues that vitamin E, sold for years for its antioxidant benefits, has shown toxicity and bleeding risk. It also links kava, yohimbine, kratom and garcinia cambogia to organ failure, liver and kidney harm, heart toxicity and death. For the human-study picture on vitamin E, the vitamin E research summary covers doses and safety.

Review What it looked at What it means for you
2017 systematic review (heart rhythm) 26 published supplement studies with 9 to 206 subjects Some supplements have shown heart tracing changes. Ask a clinician before adding one, especially if the person has a heart condition.
2023 narrative review (adverse events) Case examples and FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2021 Reported harms are a reason to check every product with a pharmacist before the first dose.

Before any supplement joins the routine, bring these questions to a pharmacist or clinician:

  1. What is the exact ingredient, and how much is in each serving?
  2. Could it interact with any prescription, over-the-counter medicine or other supplement already in use?
  3. Does the person have a heart condition or take a medicine that affects heart rhythm?
  4. Who in the home will record the start date and any change?

Ready.gov also suggests asking your pharmacist about naloxone for the home kit. Keep one shared list of everything taken, and update it the same day something changes. The site’s guides on dementia medications and supplements and managing supplement routines go deeper on both.

What this means for you: A supplement is a product to check, not a replacement for a medicine plan. Ask before you add it, and write it on the list the day it starts.

Read next

Caregiver Medication Lists: A Shared Record: one list for appointments and emergencies.

If you are looking at a product you saw advertised, the next chapter gives you the questions to ask.

Step 5: Check advertised products with clear questions

You may have seen a video or ad for a product that promises help with energy, memory, joints or weight. Start with what the maker says. Then check the ingredients, the terms and the price.

The maker’s product page is where the official claim, ingredient list and terms should be. Prices and refund terms belong to the maker, and they can change, so check them at checkout before you buy.

  1. What does the maker say the product is designed to do?
  2. Which ingredients are listed, and how much of each is in a serving?
  3. Does the label mention medicines or conditions it should not be used with?
  4. What are the refund and cancellation terms, in writing?
  5. Who is listed as the seller, and how do you reach support?

For a closer look at specific items, the BrainSync senior health caregiving guide explains what to check before buying. The vitamin D products guide covers dose, form, food and the medicine record to bring along.

This page may contain affiliate links. If you click one and buy, MercyAssistedCare.org may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

What this means for you: The more a product promises, the more the answers should be easy to find. If you cannot find the refund terms or ingredient amounts, ask the seller for them in writing before you order.

Read next

Treatmedy Bunion Fix Price, Refund and Safety Guide: the price and refund terms as the maker lists them.

Once you know what you need, the next question is who gives the help.

Step 6: Choose help and plan the hospital-to-home move

At some point the question becomes whether you need more hands. That might be a home caregiver, an agency, or a plan for the next hospital stay.

When you compare services, ask for answers in writing on three points: what tasks the caregiver may and may not do, who checks the work and who steps in when the caregiver is sick, and what you will pay and what is billed separately. The site’s home-care comparison checklist lays out these questions.

Warning signs in a caregiver or agency include tasks beyond what was agreed, no one checking the work, and billing that stays unclear. Any one of these is a reason to ask again before you sign.

Hospital stays add another layer. Decide who gets updates, and what to ask before the first week home. The guide on who can receive hospital updates helps with the first part. If home health is part of the plan, the site’s guide on how long Medicare pays for home health care explains what to ask.

What this means for you: Keep every answer with the shared medication list. If an agency will not put an answer in writing, that tells you something too.

Read next

How to Compare Home-Care Services Without Marketing Claims: the questions to get in writing.

Help for the person matters. Help for you matters too.

Step 7: Plan your own breaks and keep going

How often should you get a break? No single number fits every household. The useful question is how much time away keeps you steady enough to keep caring. Start there, then schedule the first break this week.

When you ask family or a respite provider for time, write down exactly what you need and when. The site’s guide on caring for the caregiver is a place to start on what helps you recover.

Tips for being a better caregiver

Good caregiving rarely depends on a trick. It usually comes down to a few habits:

  • Write things down, so you can see patterns and share them.
  • Keep one medication and supplement list, and update it the same day something changes.
  • Ask the discharge team one question at every transition.
  • Take a first-aid class and keep the kit where you can reach it.
  • Say what you cannot do, and ask for the help you need.

Qualities that help, and the hardest part

Patience, honesty, consistency and a willingness to ask for help carry many families through. Your strongest skill is probably the one you already use most. Name it, and say it out loud to the people around you.

For the hardest part of the job, ask yourself which part of the week drains you most, and write it down. That answer tells you where to start getting help.

What this means for you: A break you can actually take beats an ideal one you never schedule. Pick the smallest break that works this week.

Read next

How to Prepare for a Caregiver Respite Conversation: the words to ask for time away.

You now have a path: name the change, make the home safer, track falls, check what is taken, choose the right help and protect your own time. The steps below put it into action.

Your next step

  1. Start a one-week record of what has changed, using the daily function log.
  2. Make one shared list of every medicine, vitamin and supplement, and bring it to the next appointment.
  3. Walk through the house for falls, poisoning and burns, and fix one room this week.
  4. Ask any home-care provider the comparison questions in writing before you sign.
  5. Book one break this week, even a short one, and write down who will cover it.

Every guide on this topic

Feeling stretched and noticing changes

Home safety and falls

Medicines and supplements

Advertised products

Choosing help, hospital stays and health checks at home

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By MercyAssistedCare.org Editorial Team