Safety issues in Home Health - Do you ever become comfortable?

Hi, I'm an LPN seeking incredibly flexible hours to complete my remaining requirements with my RN degree. In my area, one of my only options is home health. There are numerous jobs in this area - some with training, some without.

I have some major concerns with going on someone else's "turf." A few years ago, I heard this horrific story of a home health aide being raped by a patient. Apparently he had some mental health problems as well. Anyways, that story has always stuck with me and I know there's staffing issues, but it's always made me wonder why staff isn't sent out in teams.

I decided to dabble in doing medications setups about 2 years ago. It was paid per case and I ended up doing a few cases that were 30+ miles away from my home. I was of course sent into the most undesirable areas of our city. During the time, there was a lot gang activity going on in one specific area. I wasn't too concerned about that as I didn't feel I would be targeted. However, the house itself was infested with rodents and termites. Ironically, my mom was the social worker case manager on this case and I'd spend my entire time on the phone with her trying to figure out how to get this guy in better living conditions. Come to find out, the man had a "record" that prevented him from living in a community setting. I won't elaborate of the details of the record, but it was enough that my husband said no more.

I guess my question is does it take a while to get comfortable? Do you do anything (carry pepper spray?) to help ensure your protection? I'm hoping to find a place that will let me specify the area I want to be in. Not to mention, get paid for my travel time and mileage. With my med setups, by the time I'd spend an extra hour and half driving, it wasn't worth it.

I searched through several old posts and didn't see much about safety issues. Sorry if this has been addressed already!!