Thursday Thirteen Edition #5

Thirteen suggestions to investigating falls or incidents involving residents
1. Ask the resident involved what happened - write down verbatim what they say.
2. Inquire if anyone in the area witnessed the incident or heard anything. Write down who you talked to and what was said with the date and time.
3. Survey the environment where the incident happened.
4. Make a list of possible contributing factors, such as time of day, lighting, temperature, activity prior to incident etc.
5. Review resident's diagnoses and allergies.
6. Review resident's medications. Are there any new medications causing interactions? side effects?
7. Interview family members. They could know a piece of the puzzle and not realize it.
8. Interview the person that completed the report.
9. What was the mental/emotional status of the resident? Were they upset prior to the incident, are they experiencing confusion?
10. Was the resident doing something out of the ordinary? If so why?
11. Evaluate the data. Can you answer WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY.
12. Was the incident caused by lack of knowledge or skill of the caregiver?
13. Develop preventative strategies based on the evaluation and data of the investigation.
This is just a starting point of suggestions. Doing an in depth investigation requires time and experience.

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Thursday Thirteen Edition #4

Thirteen ideas to help an older person
1. Offer to spend time with them even if it is for only 20 minutes.
2. Ask the older person to talk about places they have been.
3. If the person is vision impaired offer to read something to them they would enjoy.
4. Assist them to get connected with services for the blind, such as books on tape.
5. Offer to do a task that is now difficult for them to do, such as dusting.
6. Ask the person to share what their life was like growing up.
7. Ask them what they did for fun as teenagers.
8. Ask them who their favorite actor or actress is.
9. Ask them about who they think was the best president and why.
10. Ask them about hobbies they use to do.
11. Offer to drive them somewhere they need to go or drive them to church.
12. Offer to run an errand for them.
13. Remember to always thank them for their time and shake their hand or give a hug if appropriate.

Photo Contest!

Please visit more Photo contest Members at Five minutes for Mom! This photo contest is sponcered by Skinny Dippers!
I chose this picture of my granddaughter because she looks so spontaneous and dancing with wild abandonment. Seeing her so happy warms my heart.

Thursday Thirteen Edition #3

13 suggestions for residents to address concerns in an Assisted Living

1. Report the concern to the administrator verbally and in writing. Keep a copy of what you submit
2. If the issue is not of a private personal matter share the issue at the resident council meeting. Maybe there are others with a similar concern
3. Tell your family member or legal representative.
4. Call the Ombudsman with your concerns. Their number should be posted in the facility.
5. Submit a suggestion to the suggestion box for resolution of the issue.
6. Call the Corporate 1-800 number, often times a corporation will have a number for complaints.
7. Report the concern to the State Complaint Hot Line. Number should be posted in the facility.
8. Report your concern to your case manager, if you have one.
9. Share your concerns with the facility's licensed nurse.
10. Share your concerns with your minister.
11. Share your concerns with your doctor or therapist.
12. Document the date the problem started, the date you told someone about the issue, and the name of the person you told.
13. Check back in a reasonable amount of time with the individual you shared the concern with, to see what action has been taken.

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Thursday Thirteen

Care Giver Training

This past week I was privileged to observe a training in a facility that the nurse was presenting to caregivers. Training was on resident rights. The question being discussed was how to balance resident rights with resident safety. A resident had a recliner lift chair and wished to have use of the controller. The staff were concerned she would accidentally flip herself out of the chair. One caregiver stated she had placed the controller beside the resident's leg and requested she call for assistance when she wanted to get out of the chair. Another caregiver stated that perhaps they could check on her hourly. Another caregiver volunteered and said "we need to include this on the service plan". Another caregiver suggested "lets ask the resident what she would like". By the end of the training almost everyone present had contributed something about the care for this resident.

Observing interaction between care giving staff and trainers is a another means to evaluate a facility and how they provide for residents. When the caregivers are engaged in the decisions about the care they provide and feel they are being listened to then it is a good probability you will see the care givers listening to what residents are saying.

Thirteen Thursday #2 Issues of dignity

My 13 idea of respecting another's dignity when living in an assisted living center.
1. Address an older individual by their title Mr. Mrs. Miss, Mame, or only if given permission, by their first name.
2. Refrain from addressing an older person as "honey, sweetie, sweetheart or any other term that denotes an intimate relationship. You wouldn't address an employer with these terms.
3. Be considerate of the individual's personal space.
4. Knock before entering an individual's quarters.
5. Wait, after knocking, for an invitation to enter or at least wait an appropriate amount of time before entering to allow the individual to respond.
6. Request to speak to an individual quietly in private. Do not holler across a dining room the individual's name. No one else needs to know the resident's business or that you need to talk to them. Demonstrate that respect.
7. Do not holler across a dining room and ask the resident how their meal is, that is demonstrating a lack of respect. Go over to the individual and address them in a respectful manner to inquire if their meal is satisfactory.
8. Go about your duties in the dining room in a quiet manner. Meal time is one of socialization for residents. Be respectful of their environment it should not remind one of a junior high cafeteria. There should not be banging of dishes, wait staff hollering across the dining room shouting orders or staff visiting with one another. This is time for the residents and should be a pleasant experience; for some this is the highlight of their day.
9. If a resident needs assistance to the bathroom do not announce it to the whole dining room how embarrassing! If you need to let a coworker know you are leaving the area because a resident needs assistance to the bathroom develop specific statements such as "Mrs. Brown requires assistance" meaning its a bathroom run and may take a while or "Mr. Moon requests assistance" meaning you will be taking him back to his room to change cloths because of an accident or whatever might work for your situation. Remember the residents were once fully functioning adults with pride and dignity. They have lost so much independence, control over bodily functions, ability to care for themselves as they once did; we need to make the effort to preserve their dignity and demonstrate respect.
10. When providing personal care for residents make the environment as private as possible. Provide adequate covering. Do not allow coworkers to walk in and carry on a conversation while you are providing care.
11. Try to carry on polite conversation while providing intimate personal care to decrease embarrassment for the individual. Provide the resident modesty whenever possible.
12. Explain what you wish to do before you execute and ask the resident's preference and permission.
13. Refrain from discussing resident information in public areas such as the dining room, elevators, common bathrooms (it is amazing how voices carry out of a bathroom), hallways or any where the information could be overheard.
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Resident Rights Source

Resident Rights published on the Thirteen Thursday (#1) came from the RCW (Revised Code of Washington) Chapter 70.129. The 70.129.005 RCW states ...the intent of the legislature includes that long-term care facility residents have the opportunity to exercise reasonable control over life decisions. The legislature finds that choice, participation, privacy, and the opportunity to engage in religious, political, civic, recreational, and other social activities foster a sense of self-worth and enhance the quality of life for long-term care residents.
The first resident right identified was the right to a dignified existence. Fellow bloggers would you share with me? What would a dignified existence be for you? What would be a dignified existence for your parents?