Prevent Falls
Makn
igHealthCareSafer, Together
SaferToget
Falingcanresultinseriousinjury,butmostfalls are
veryonewantshealthcaretobeassafeaspossible—patients,
preventable.Youareatgreaterriskoffalingwhenyou are tE
h
eirfamilesandfriends,healthcareproviders,physicians. staff
feelingunwelorareinunfamilarsurroundings. Reducing
a
n
falsiseveryones' responsibilty;patients.family, friends dhealthcare leaders.
andhealthcare staff.
Weinviteyoutopartnerwithustohelpensurethatyourcare is
safe.Beaware,ben
i formed.andbe involved.
ToReduceyourRsi ksof Falling
Ifyouaresick.pe
l asedonotvisitanyoneinhospitalorcare
•Lookaround,slowdown,holdontosomething,ask for facility.
assistance,waitforhelpandbecautious.Don't risk
falling.
•Tell staffandcaregiversifyouareunsteadyonyour
feetorifyouhaveever fallen.
HealthLinkAlbertaisa24houraday.sevendaya week
•Takeyourtime:useneededsupportssuchasa cane, te
honehealthadviceandhealthinformationservice answered
walkerorcrutchesespecialywhengetingoutof bed bylerp
e
gisterednursesbydialing "811"
ora chair.
•Keepoften-useditemswithinreach:useyourcall bell
for assistance.
•Reportspilsrightaway.Wetfloorscancause
accd
i ents.Tellastaffmemberifthefloorinyour area
HealthAdvice 24/7
iswet,andusecauto
i nifyouseea"wetfloor" sign.
•Avoidwearn
i gclothingthatistooo
l oseortoo long.
•Wearfootwearthatfitswelandhasgoodtraction.
Indoorshoeswithao
l wheelandrubbersoles are
best.
Thankyoutoourpatientsandtheirfamilesforassistingn
i the
creato
i nofthisbrochure.Toorderbrochures. email
patient.engadementgalbertahealthservices.caw
itheamount
required,orcall 1-877-735-1102.
HealthAdviceInformation
Health Link
4
Al
b
erta
Health
■ Services
■1■
Alberta
Hea
■ Services
AlbertaHealthServci esiscommitedtopartnering with
P
a
t
i
e
n
tscanplayavitalroleinmakingcaresafeby being
youinprovidingsafe,qualitycarethroughouthehealth aware,n
i formedandactivelyinvolvedasamemberoftheir
caresystem.
healthcare team.
VerifyYourPersonalIdentification
Ask.Listen. Talk
•Verifyingpatientidentificationisanimportantfactorin the
safedeliveryofhealth care.
•Foryoursafety.weroutinelycheckandconfirm your
identifcationatvariouspointsinyourjourney.For example,
atPatientRegistration.beforeaprocedureorwhile receiving
care.
•Confirmationmayn
i cu
l destatingyournameandbirth date,
orprovidingyourhealthcarecardorother identifying
documents.
•Pleaseletusknowifyouchangeyourname.address, phone
number.oremergency contact.
Ce
lanYour Hands
•Medicationsaremorethanfiledprescriptions.Theyinclude
ver-the-countermedci n
i es,anysupplements.vitamins or
Safetystartswithgoodcommunication.Helpuskeepyou safe •Keepinghandscleanisthebestthingyoucandoto prevent o
herbalremedies,inhalers.patches,ointments.eyedrops
thespreadofinfections.Coughorsneezeintoyoursleeve or a
bypracticinggoodcommunication:
ndsamplesfromyourdoctor.Includetheproduct name,
coveryourmouthandnosewitha tissue.
thedoseandtimeyoutakethe product.
•ASKyourhealthcareprovidersaboutyourhealth care •Helpstopgermsbyusn
i gthealcohol-basedhand rubs
•
If
a
c
h
a
n
g
e
i
s
m
a
d
e
t
o
y
o
urmedications,askwhy.Know
pa
l n.Findoutwhatyoucandotofeelbeterandimprove locatedthroughoutthefacility,orwashingyour hands
a
r
eforandhowtotake them
thoroughyl withsoapandwaterfor20seconds.Ifyou need whatyourmedicationesm
yourhealth.
(
e
.
g
.
w
i
t
h
f
o
o
d
)
.
R
e
m
bertoupdateyourlist.Share your
•LISTENcarefulyandaskformoreinformation, especiallyasssi tance,askfor help.
eeahealthcare provider.
ifyoudon'tunderstand.Takenotesandbringafriend or • If youaren'tsureifyourhealthcareproviderhas cleaned listeverytimeyrhoaudsa
e
reactiontoamedicationorfood
theirhandsbeforecomn
i gintocontactwithyou.it's okay to •Hparovdeuycot?uIfesvo
familymemberwithyoufor support.
,tellamemberofyourhealthcare team.
•TALKaboutyourconcerns,needsandprioritieswith your ask.
heatlhcareproviders.Talkaboutyourpa
l nofcare.what it •Remindotherstocleantheirhands.suchasyour family
m
e
m
b
e
r
s
.
f
r
i
e
nds,
or
h
e
a
l
t
h
c
a
r
e
providers.
TolearnhowtomakeyourMedLsi torformoreinformation
means,andwhatyoucanexpectto occur.
gototheAlbertaHeatlhServiceswebsite below:
Ifyoudonotspeakorunderstand English,
knowbestwhatmedci ato
i nsyoutakeandhowyou take
KnowYour Medications
pleaseletyourcareteamknowanda translator•You
them.Keepanup-to-datelistofallmedci ato
i ns(MedList) and www.albertahealthservices.ca/
canbe contacted.
carrythiswithyouasitspeaksforyouincaseyoucan't,or if
youdon'talwaysrememberallthemedicationsyoutake.
KnowYour Medicine
RevsiedSpring2015ReprintedApril 2015
DE-444