Skilled nursing and assisted living communities face unique challenges: they provide medical care while still needing to feel like home. This means that in addition to preventing incidents, you’re working hard to help your residents enjoy a high quality of life.
Providing a great resident experience doesn’t have to be complex. A few simple steps can help you put your best foot forward and be the community that others strive to emulate.
How to Improve Resident Care
Welcome your residents’ family members at any time
The more your community feels like home and less like “a facility,” the happier your residents will be. Just as you wouldn't put “visiting hours” on your door at home, don’t do it at your community either. It makes life easier for the families too, and they’re important advocates when it comes to your residents’ well-being and happiness.
Provide plenty of fun, social opportunities
Isolation and loneliness are major causes of depression in older adults. Offer a variety of activities that appeal to different personality types. For instance, although card games are enjoyable for many residents, others may prefer listening to music, sipping tea for an hour, or joining a residents’ book club. Even the most dedicated families often can’t visit every day — so give your residents opportunities to bond with one another.
Make tidiness a priority
Everyone enjoys a clean house or a well-manicured lawn. Residents and families don’t want to see less-than-tidy facilities or grounds. Make it a priority to keep up with cleaning and lawn care — and consider fun ways to beautify it. Perhaps hang residents’ artwork in a main hallway, or start a garden club for people who love to tend to the green spaces.
Recognize that meals may be the highlight of the day
Restaurant-style fine dining is now the norm, so don't be left behind with tray service and limited choices. Although it’s impossible to please everyone all the time, serve a wide variety of foods so residents can have a few favorites they enjoy. Dining is also a time for socialization. Turn on relaxing and familiar music (something from the residents' era). Include nice touches like fresh flowers and a variety of condiments.
Get familiar with your quality and risk management data
Knowing how to handle critical events like falls, infections, and wounds — or better yet, avoiding them in the first place — is probably the most powerful way you can help your residents have the best possible experience. Do you know when and why critical events are happening? Do you have an expert risk manager on your side who can analyze events and guide you through a resolution? Do you know which residents are most at risk of having an event or how your facility compares to others in QA measures? If not, you may want to look into a risk management system.
Happy residents can do wonders for your quality scores and your bottom line. Focus on providing them with a safe, enjoyable experience and you’ll reap the benefits of being a respected organization where people truly feel at home.
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