It is often said, "it takes a village to raise a child". The same can be said about helping an elder age at home. Perhaps not a village, but certainly a family. Caregiving at home has proven its value in offsetting the high costs of in-facility healthcare, and at the same time, improving the quality of life for many elders. However, educational training and support for caregivers have been in short supply.

The focus of this program is to help you as a family caregiver create a safe living space and conditions to support an elder living semi-independently in the community or adapting your family household to support an elder as a member of your family.

Make it safe: A family caregiver's home safety assessment program for supporting elders. Home is a compilation of safety tips, and sage advice to help support an elder in aging semi-independently and safely.

A downloadable home safety inspection sheet is provided so you can complete an elder's home inspection or yours for that matter. As a recently retired registered nurse of over 40 years, author Rae A. Stonehouse has worked predominantly in the field of mental health/psychiatry. He has experience working with all ages of adults including the elderly in senior facilities, psychogeriatric units, mental health facilities, and in the community.

While working as a registered nurse, Rae A. Stonehouse was actively involved with occupational health and safety in his workplaces. That experience has been beneficial in developing his skills to take an analytical look at a home's potential safety hazards and to provide strategies to rectify those hazards to make it safe for an elder to live there.

With the COVID-19 pandemic in full force at the time of publishing this program, many families are considering alternatives to institutions for their elderly loved ones.