Congratulations! We exceeded expectations!

Per the CMS Blog posted in January 2017, we have enjoyed a sharp reduction in avoidable hospitalizations among long-term care residents.

Winter weather can impact all aspects of our operations, from staff call-ins, to power outages, delayed food and service deliveries, and more. But what about falls? I’m not referring to resident falls, because hopefully when there is inclement weather you aren’t allowing your residents to be outdoors! I am referring to staff and visitor falls. This may shock you, but visitors and staff assume that your parking lot and walkways are going to be safe when they visit a loved one or punch in for their shift.

There's an old adage that “the first dog bite is free,” but the first fall is far from free! Visitor falls are a general liability issue and can be very costly—especially if there's a significant injury.

Infection control has been a hot-button issue for several years, and many centers have been cited under F441. Are you one of them? Good news! The CDC has developed a tool for evaluating our current processes and identifying if there are any gaps in our protocols. The tool is intended to assist in assessing infection control programs and practices in nursing homes and other long-term care settings.

Here's some exciting news in our pursuit to identify the root cause of falls! A recent article published in Managed Health Care Connect identifies that people whose brains work the hardest when they try to walk and talk at the same time may have a higher risk of falling in the future than seniors who can do both of these with ease! To our knowledge, this is the first study to link brain activity changes that PRECEDE behavioral changes to risk of falls, per researcher Dr. Verghese.

I don’t know about you but I don’t like small appliances that only do one task. Don’t buy me an appliance if it isn’t multi-functional or I'll return it! So why should reports be any different?

As with anything in life, there is good news and bad news about reports. First, the bad news. We have more reports that tell us more about our centers than we sometimes care to know. CASPER, PB&J, Quality Measures, 5-star, wound logs, fall logs, pharmacy, 24 hour, RUGs/PPS/MDS, weight loss, rehospitalizations, infection control...the list just goes on and on!

In a recent McKnight’s article, a registered nurse in Canada took to social media to air her frustrations over a relative’s skilled nursing care. As a result, she was found guilty of professional misconduct by a nursing organization. The nurse’s grandfather was a resident at a long-term care center, receiving end-of-life care. The nurse felt the center should have provided a higher level of resident-centered palliative care to improve his end of life.

Quality is the foundation of the Evolucent Risk Management program, and supporting our members on their quality journey is a tremendously rewarding experience. Over the past six years, Evolucent Risk Management consultants have taken an active role in the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award program as senior examiners and team leaders.

It's time once again for our members to apply for an award! Applications are due January 26, 2017.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year...unless you're responsible for ensuring your residents are provided with appropriate staffing during the holidays! Then it might not be so wonderful, right? As an administrator, I remember meeting every morning with the management team and the first question was always, “How is staffing for the weekend?” or, “How is staffing for the holidays?”

These are high-risk times for senior living centers, and there is no way to avoid it. But there may be some ways to encourage caregivers to “show up” for work, or even “volunteer” for extra shifts.

Falls, falls, falls. Definitely risky business right? But why, since most residents who fall in our centers are the ones who fell in the community and at home, before coming to our communities? It's no surprise that if a fall occurred before admission that falls will occur again. Understanding that we may not be able to prevent all falls or injuries, how do we manage family expectations?

It happens in an instant and can be devastating and life changing for countless people: ACTIVE SHOOTER! Most recently our nation has faced some social challenges that give us reason to pause. As we ponder the “why” of such situations we should also be thinking, “What can I do to prepare my center for an unexpected event while not instilling fear?”