If you’re thinking about placing your loved one in a nursing home, safety should be your first consideration. Hiring a private nurse or health care service provider is an expensive option, which is why many families are choosing nursing facilities. Quality facilities and their equipment are routinely maintained, and the managers devise methods of improving safety regularly.
So how do nursing homes keep their residents safe? In this article, we’re going to cover the basics of nursing home accident prevention.
Fall Prevention Methods
Nursing home personnel can implement various techniques to avert falls and enhance resident safety. Here are some of the nursing home fall prevention methods that are employed.
- The personnel identifies the residents who are at risk of falling, such as those with poor vision, cardiovascular disease, a history of falling, and gait disturbances.
- The facility assesses recently admitted residents for issues that may boost the risk of falling and keenly observes them during their first two weeks in the nursing facility.
- It also ensures that residents utilize walkers, canes, and wheelchairs when necessary. The facility also has to check mobility aids regularly and ensure that they are in good condition.
Staff Training
Nursing facilities must train their personnel to identify and report changes in the health conditions of the residents. Careful monitoring maximizes the safety of the residents. Identifying health changes and finding a solution to the problem reduces the development of complications such as falls.
Administrators should implement nursing home personnel training. Properly trained staff will keep a keen eye on any changes to the resident’s condition and communicate them to the home’s administrators and the patients’ family members.
Prevent Adverse Events and Medical Errors
Nursing facilities store their medical records in digital form. That makes it easier for them to check a resident’s chart for accurate details on their present medication schedule and notes concerning allergies and previous severe drug reactions.
These facilities also have personalized medication packages that have the resident’s pre-sorted pills. Adequate training, education, and eagle-eyed attention are essential when it comes to averting medical errors.
Background Checks on Nursing Facility Personnel
This is perhaps the most important safety measure a long-term care facility can take. Nursing homes need to be careful about who they employ. To do this, they conduct background research on their staff for elder abuse, theft, and neglect in residential care environments.
Since the quality of care the residents receive depends on the quality of staff in the organization, nursing facilities consider factors such as training, certification, work history, and education before hiring. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services adopted a National Background Check program for performing background research on personnel with direct resident access.
Select Safety Champions for Each Unit
Nursing homes have a specific safety champion for each resident care unit to show the facility’s focus on safety. That makes other personnel more comfortable regarding sharing data and asking questions. Nursing homes also employ different techniques that improve safety, such as room alarms, personal alarms, and night visits.
Residents carry personal alarms that they can wear comfortably. When the alarm is activated, it instantly alerts the staff about who is having health problems and their location. The nursing home management consistently monitors alarm response periods to ensure residents get assistance quickly.
Nursing homes ensure that rooms have fixed call bells that residents can ring whenever they require assistance. Caregivers routinely visit the residents, both day and night. The care control unit records every visit, and any issue is addressed promptly.
If your loved one’s needs have become too much for you to manage on your own because they have dementia or another condition, you may need to rely on a care facility. It’s natural that you are concerned about safety considering how often articles about nursing home abuse appear in the news. With a little research and regular visits on your part, you can help keep your elderly relative safe.
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