It's time to have a conversation about safety in the home

Choosing to receive care at home is an important decision to make. Being aware of and understanding potential risks to safety is a big part of receiving home care for patients, their families and care providers. Talking openly and honestly as a healthcare team is important —before, during, and after care appointments.

In 2015, CPSI worked with the Canadian Home Care Association to find tools and resources to guide safety conversations between health care providers and patients when receiving home care services. The result was the Am I Safe? report.

Am I Safe? helps healthcare providers, patients, and caregivers work together to evaluate and manage risk when receiving care at home. Understanding and accepting "what is safe" means balancing the patient's and family's understanding of risk with the healthcare provider's knowledge and perception of acceptable risk. If all parties involved can have the right conversations, establish trust, share information and knowledge, and support one another, they greatly increase their chances of successful, safe care in the home.

The next phase of Am I Safe? begins now. We want to discover and test resources to support safety conversations in the home. If you are using a tool or are aware of a tool that could facilitate conversations around safety in the home, please contact us at AMISAFE@cpsi-icsp.ca or info@cpsi-icsp.ca.