Important Equipment For A Care Home To Have On Hand

Starting a care home is a complicated business. Aside from the legislation and paperwork, you need to ensure that the care home is stocked with the right equipment. This is super important as it covers the safety and well-being of the residents. This guide will cover the most important equipment that every care home should have on hand.

Safety Supplies

Safety is important in care homes. Whether the home looks after elderly residents or people with learning disabilities, it’s absolutely necessary to have the right safety supplies on hand. These include:

Walkers
Wheelchairs
Crutches
Braces
Bed alarms
Personal alarms
Shower seats
Patient call systems
Lockable drawers

Basic Diagnostic Equipment

Most care homes are set up to provide basic medical care. That means they need to have diagnostic sets on hand. These range from specimen collection pots and blood test kits to breathalyzers. Of course, this depends on the level of care that the home provides. If they have a resident nurse, it is likely that they will have a comprehensive set of diagnostic equipment.

First Aid Kits

First-aid kits are one of the most important pieces of equipment to have. This allows the caregivers to provide basic medical care in the event of an accident. First-aid kits contain the following items:

Disinfectants
Gloves
Bandages
Burn medication
Basic pain medication

Patient Medical Supplies

Each patient will have their own medication, which has been prescribed by the doctor. It is the duty of a care home to look after this medication and administer it where appropriate. It is also important that care homes keep track of the medication to ensure that it is administered exactly as the doctor has prescribed it.

Lifts

In care homes, elderly residents are often less mobile than other members of the public. That means that lifts need to be installed to help them get from one floor to another. This can be an expensive addition to a care home, so it needs to be considered early in the planning process. On top of standard lifts, it may be necessary to install bed lifts and support structures to assist with mobility issues.

Assessment Tools

If the care home has a resident nurse, they will need the correct assessment tools. This allows them to check for signs of common illnesses and keep track of changes in the residents’ health. Common assessment tools include:

Pulse oximeter
Thermometer
Stethoscope
Otoscope
Blood pressure cuff
Scales

Infection Prevention

Cleaning supplies are super-important in a care home. Staff members need to disinfect surfaces, encourage personal hygiene, and protect themselves against infection. Infection prevention includes everything from disinfectant spray to personal-protection masks. This is one of the most important considerations in a care home because residents can’t be responsible for protecting themselves against infection.

Respiratory Equipment

Respiratory problems are common in care homes because of the age of the residents. That means the care home needs to be stocked up with the right equipment. From nebulizers to portable oxygen cylinders, the respiratory equipment that a care home needs must be decided on a case-by-case basis.