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June is National Safety Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness around preventable injuries and creating safer environments at work, on the road, in communities, and at home. For patients receiving hospice, home health, or palliative care, safety is more than a checklist – it is a meaningful part of preserving comfort, dignity, independence, and peace of mind. The National Safety Council recognizes June as National Safety Month and highlights important topics such as risk reduction, holistic well-being, and preventing slips, trips, and falls.

At Solaris Healthcare, safety begins with understanding the needs of each patient and family. Whether a patient is recovering at home, managing a serious illness, or receiving end-of-life support, a safe environment helps reduce stress, prevent avoidable complications, and allow care to focus on what matters most: comfort, connection, and quality of life.

More patients are receiving complex care in the place they call home. Home-based care can include home health, hospice, palliative care, personal care, and support from family caregivers. This makes the home an important setting for both healing and safety.

For older adults and individuals with serious illness, everyday hazards can carry greater risk. Loose rugs, poor lighting, cluttered walkways, medication confusion, or difficulty moving from one room to another can quickly become barriers to safety. The CDC notes that falls are a serious threat to older adults’ health and independence, but they are not an inevitable part of aging – there are proven ways to reduce fall risk.

A safer home does not have to feel clinical or overwhelming. Often, small changes can make a powerful difference.

Hospice care focuses on comfort, symptom management, emotional support, and dignity for patients facing life-limiting illness. In this setting, safety is not about taking control away from the patient – it is about creating an environment where comfort can flourish.

For hospice patients, safety may include reducing fall risks, keeping needed supplies within reach, supporting safe transfers, managing medications carefully, and helping families understand what changes to expect. Research on patient safety in home hospice care has found that falls and symptom concerns are among the most common safety issues in the home hospice setting.

The Solaris hospice team works alongside patients and families to provide guidance, reassurance, and compassionate support. From nurses and aides to social workers, chaplains, volunteers, and medical providers, the hospice team helps families feel less alone as they care for their loved one at home.

Home health care often supports patients after hospitalization, surgery, illness, injury, or a change in condition. The goal is to help patients recover, regain strength, manage health needs, and remain safely at home whenever possible.

In home health, safety may involve skilled nursing, therapy, medication education, wound care, mobility support, and patient teaching. Home health clinicians provide care in ways that honor each patient’s independence while adapting to the unique layout and realities of the home. Patient safety concerns in home health can include falls, medication-related events, pressure injuries, wound complications, and changes that may lead to unplanned hospital visits. 

At Solaris, home health care is built around personalized support. Our team helps patients and caregivers recognize risks, understand care instructions, and feel more confident managing daily needs at home.

Palliative care supports individuals living with serious illness by focusing on relief from symptoms, stress, pain, and uncertainty. It can be provided alongside curative or ongoing treatments, helping patients maintain quality of life while navigating complex health needs.

Safety in palliative care is deeply connected to communication. Patients and families may be managing multiple medications, appointments, symptoms, and care decisions. A thoughtful palliative care team helps create clarity, identify concerns early, and support safer choices that align with the patient’s goals.

Patient safety in palliative care may include preventing avoidable hospital visits, supporting pain and symptom management, reducing fall risks, and helping families understand changes in condition.

During National Safety Month, families and caregivers can take time to look around the home with fresh eyes. Safety does not require perfection. It starts with awareness.

Consider these helpful steps:

• • • Clear walking paths. Remove clutter, cords, loose rugs, and small furniture from common walkways.
    • Improve lighting. Add nightlights in bedrooms, bathrooms, hallways, and near stairs.
    • Reduce bathroom risks. Use non-slip mats, grab bars, shower chairs, or raised toilet seats when recommended.
    • Keep essentials close. Place medications, water, phones, call buttons, mobility devices, and comfort items within easy reach.
    • Review medications. Ask the care team about side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, or confusion.
    • Use mobility equipment correctly. Walkers, canes, wheelchairs, hospital beds, and transfer tools should be used as directed by healthcare professionals.
    • Ask for help early. New weakness, confusion, shortness of breath, increased pain, or repeated near-falls should be shared with the care team.

The National Institute on Aging recommends going room by room to identify safety concerns and correcting immediate dangers such as poor lighting, loose railings, and fall hazards.

At Solaris Healthcare, safety is never treated as a cold checklist. It is part of uncommon care – the thoughtful, personal support that helps patients feel seen, families feel prepared, and homes feel more manageable.

Our hospice, home health, and palliative care teams understand that every home is different. Every patient is different. Every family carries its own worries, routines, and hopes. That is why our approach combines clinical experience with compassion, education, and steady guidance.

This National Safety Month, we encourage families to take one small step toward a safer home. Move the rug. Add the nightlight. Ask the question. Call the care team. Small actions can create meaningful comfort.

Safety is one of the quiet ways we protect quality of life. It helps patients remain where they feel most comfortable, supports caregivers in their daily responsibilities, and gives families greater peace of mind.

At Solaris Healthcare, we are honored to walk alongside patients and families through hospice, home health, and palliative care – bringing comfort, guidance, and gold-standard support to the place that matters most: home.

To learn more about Solaris Healthcare services, call 888-376-5274 or visit solarisfamily.com.