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.

If you work in LTC communities, you understand the frustration and stress caused by adverse events. Quality scores, litigation, and resident safety are obvious concerns. Staff stress levels may increase, and the “blame game” is often an issue. To make matters worse, it can feel like incidents keep happening despite your best efforts. You — and your staff — may feel helpless to stop them.

But are adverse events really inevitable? In many cases, no. While it may seem like falls and other critical events happen without warning, there are often underlying causes that, if identified, could help you prevent these incidents. But how do you determine the root cause of an incident, and what do you do once you have identified it?

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?”

The holidays are here and everyone is merry. Oh wait, maybe everyone isn’t merry! Seasonal depression is very common in all age groups, but depression in seniors is associated with increased falls and falls with injury.

In a report by the OIG, in 10 sample states, inadequate staffing levels were identified as one of the major problems in nursing homes. This problem is nothing new, and it's no secret among assisted living communities. The real secret seems to be how to make sure you have adequate staffing to reduce adverse events and fall-related injuries.

Many assisted living communities have adopted Alzheimer's programming that helps manage residents' behaviors without using antipsychotic medications. However, it takes time to develop a successful treatment program, and you'll probably have as many failures as successes at the outset. In addition, not relying on these drugs means residents may become agitated more easily. This can be very stressful and distressing for your nursing staff to deal with.  

In long-term and post-acute care communities, hiring good nurses is only one step towards success. The challenge is often keeping great caregivers once you have them.

High staff turnover is a frustrating and costly reality for many senior living communities. Not only does it cost you time and money to train and retrain staff as they come and go, but a lack of consistency in nurses and caregivers can make residents and their families — and even other staff — feel uneasy.

For these reasons, keeping your staff from leaving should be a priority. But if you’re already offering them good pay and benefits, what else can you do?