A novice Arduino project and an emergency with the well being of a loved one at stake is not a safe combination. You always need to think of worst case scenarios. Electrical, mechanical, software bugs are an inevitable reality in the development of a project even for a professional. If an error causes an LED blinky not lighting up or a robotic toy car turning left instead of right, no big deal. You find the bug, fix it, learn some things, and have fun. When safety is involved the stakes are much higher.