Posted by Brian Barrick on February 22, 2012
Adult Care Homes and Facilities are required to provide security for the confidential, financial and other information of their clients and customers, it is helpful to know and understand what steps to take to keep your institution from being threatened.
Employee Management and Training
- Regularly remind all employees of your company’s policy and legal requirement to keep customer information confidential and secure.
- Limit access to customer information to employees who have business reason to see it.
- Do background checks and check references before hiring employees who will work with confidential information.
- Ask every new employee to sign an agreement to follow your company’s confidential and security standards for handing customer information.
- Manage access to sensitive information by incorporating “strong” passwords that are changed frequently.
- Create policies for appropriate use and protection of laptops, PDA’s, cell phones, or other mobile devices.
- Train employees to take steps to maintain the security, confidentiality, and integrity of customers.
- Develop policies for employees who telecommute.
- Prevent terminated employees from accessing customer information.
Information Systems
- Know where sensitive customer information is stored and store securely.
- Take steps to insure the secure broadcast of customer information.
- Get rid of customer information in a secure way and with the FTC’s Disposal Rule www.ftc.gov/os/2004/11/041118disposalfrn.pdf
Detecting and Managing System Failures
- Monitor the websites of your software vendors and reading applicable industry publications for news about emerging threats and available defenses.
- Maintain current and appropriate programs and controls to avoid unauthorized access to customer information.
- Use the correct oversight or audit procedures to detect the inappropriate disclosure or theft of customer information.
- Take steps to defend the security, confidentiality, and integrity of customer information in the event of a breach.
- Consider informing customers, law enforcement, and businesses in the event of a security breach.
Posted in Handy Tips, Insurance Topics | Tagged: Adult Care Facilities, Adult Family Homes, Assisted Living Facilities, Claims, client confidentiality, confidential information, Cyber Insurance, Documentation, employee, employee contracts, HIPAA, Incident Reporting, PCALIC, Personal Care Homes, residents, Risk Management | 1 Comment »
Posted by Brian Barrick on February 21, 2012
Sometimes residents feel like they do not belong in your facility and they just feel lonely, and no one enjoys feeling that way so why not find something where your residents can relate to one thing and discuss it, how about a discussion group? This would be a great way for your residents to meet each other and find out their interests and may even make some friends. After all, if your residents don’t have any visitors, they may feel like they have no one, so a friend would be very beneficial to them.
First you will need to have a sign up paper where your residents can write what discussion group they would like to have and have other residents makes a mark next to it if they would like this as well. This will let you know which ideas are more popular than others which can then lead you to making a time for the discussion groups and posting it for your residents. During the discussion group it would be beneficial for one of the staff members to research the topic so they can help start the discussion, and then the rest is sitting back and enjoying the discussion.
Posted in Resident Activities | Tagged: Adult Care Facilities, Adult Family Homes, Assisted Living Facilities, brian barrick, Personal Care Homes, Resident Activities, residents | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Brian Barrick on February 14, 2012
One hobby that almost all senior citizens seem to enjoy is reading the paper. They like to be kept up on what is happening in their community, events, and the cartoons and crossword puzzles. You can incorporate the newspaper into your facility by creating a monthly, weekly, or even daily newsletter that your residents would truly enjoy.
First you will need to make a layout of what will be covered in your newsletter, will it be strictly for your facility or will it include information about your whole community. Next you will need to get staff members to write blogs about the topics you pick. For the fun and games section you can find a bunch of cartoons on the internet, or your can create your own. You can also find crossword puzzle makers online and Sudoku. All that’s left is handing out your papers, and seeing your residents enjoy them.
For an easy to use template, visit www.pcalic.com and send an e-mail request.
Posted in Resident Activities | Tagged: Adult Care Facilities, Adult Family Homes, Assisted Living Facilities, brian barrick, Documentation, PCALIC, Personal Care Homes, Resident Activities, residents | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Brian Barrick on February 14, 2012
There is not a specific formula for dealing with risks because the management is based on preparing for uncertain circumstances. Luckily, three strategies have been developed to help keep us on our feet when we are tripping over the idea of how to manage certain risks. The first is to create goals for risk management, so there is a target to aim form. (Ask “why” and “what”?) The second is to develop a committee (“who”?) involving people from all levels of the organization with diverse perspectives. Finally, a risk management plan with goals and objectives should be made.
Posted in Insurance Topics, Uncategorized | Tagged: Adult Care Facilities, Adult Family Homes, Assisted Living Facilities, brian barrick, Claims, Incident Reporting, PCALIC, Personal Care Homes, Risk Management | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Brian Barrick on February 6, 2012
Who doesn’t love having their birthday celebrated? It’s the one day out of the year that is all about you, so why wouldn’t you celebrate that. A great activity for your residents in your assisted living home would be a monthly birthday party where you celebrate every resident’s birthday in that specific month.
All of the residents would be invited to share in the birthday festivities this is a fun and fairly inexpensive activity that will bring great joy to your residents. You could have balloons tied to each resident’s chair that had a birthday, set up a banner with all of their names on it (you can buy reusable banners at local party supply stores), have pizza (If their diets allow that), bake a cake, and play games. It is a great way for a resident to bring out the child within. So, get out your party hats and get ready for your monthly birthday bash!
Posted in Resident Activities | Tagged: Adult Care Facilities, Adult Family Homes, Assisted Living Facilities, brian barrick, PCALIC, Personal Care Homes, Resident Activities, residents | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Brian Barrick on February 2, 2012
Wheelchairs may seem pretty easy to maneuver, but there are many precautions you can take to avoid injury. To transfer a weak resident from a bed to a wheelchair follow these safety tips:
- Evaluate the resident overall strength and check for cognitive impairments
- Inform the resident of the procedure
- Place the wheelchair next to the bed, make sure that when you are as close as possible to the bed that the breaks are locked on the wheelchair
- Adjust the height of the bed so the bed is as equal to the wheelchair as possible and remember to lock the beds breaks when it is in position
- Lower the side rails of the bed and if possible, raise the head of the bed to a point that is comfortable for the resident
- Place one arm under the shoulder of the resident and the other arm supporting the residents’ thigh on the opposite side. Count to three and then carefully swing the legs of the resident over the side of the bed and assist him in lifting his trunk and shoulders until he is in sitting position. If resident is strong enough to do some movements, allow the resident to participate on the maneuver.
- Position your arms around the torso of the resident for support. Put one arm of the resident over your shoulder; while his other arm is extended on the bed, to help maintain the position. Instruct the resident to scoot over the edge of the bed until feet is flat on the floor.
- Position your right foot alongside the residents’ left foot and place your leg on the level on his knee
- Slightly bend your knees and tilt your body. Then instruct the resident to get ready for a push from one arm that’s extended on the bed, as you lift him up to standing position.
- Elevate resident to standing position and keep your back straight as you do this maneuver. Adjust the resident so that his back is positioned in front of the wheelchair; instruct him to grasp on the armrest for additional support, and then slowly support the patient as he lowers himself on the seat of the chair.
- Help the resident in positioning himself appropriately when seated. Make sure that his buttocks are entirely rested on the seat and his back firmly resting on the back support. Place his arms on the armrests and his feet on the footrests.
When the resident is on the wheelchair, make sure they are aware of the center of gravity. Proper positioning is very important for your safety. When leaning, reaching, bending sideways or forward, it is essential to use the casters as a tool to maintaining stability and balance.
Posted in Insurance Topics | Tagged: Adult Care Facilities, Adult Family Homes, Assisted Living Facilities, Claims, Documentation, Incident Reporting, PCALIC, Personal Care Homes, Risk Management, safety, wheelchair safety | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Brian Barrick on February 2, 2012
The goal to a successful assisted living facility is building a team that will work towards the ALF’s goal and mission (to provide a quality of life for your residents)and help the company grow. The first step to creating a dream team is to find candidates that will work well with your company. The internet is a good tool to advertise job opportunities, and also acts as a tool to get to know your prospective employee’s previous work history. The second step is to make sure you clearly define what you want from the employee. A few strategies that will help you filter the good candidates from the bad include: providing a description of the job, use applications for all positions, identify whether or not physical requirements must be met, and take advantage of the references provided are good first steps to creating a dream team at your assisted living facility.
Posted in Handy Tips | Tagged: Adult Care Facilities, Adult Family Homes, Assisted Living Facilities, brian barrick, Documentation, employee, PCALIC, Personal Care Homes, Risk Management | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Brian Barrick on January 31, 2012
The weather outside may be frightful, so it’s time to turn on your furnace and get nice and toasty, but what if there’s a problem with your adult care home’s furnace? Warming up may not be your only problem, this could result in a case of furnace puff back. Furnace puff back is caused by a malfunction in the heating system that results in incomplete combustion in the unit. This can cause a mess in your home because the incompletely-burnt material passes through the duct system into the living areas of the home.
If the fuel and oxygen levels are balanced in the furnace, your furnace should have no problems with combustion, but if the rate of combustion slows and the fuel injection continues at the same rate, a sudden combustion can occur. Puff back is not resistant to puff back either, although it is a bit different then forced air systems.
Puff back is often a sticky, oily film that has a petroleum base and it usually has a strong smell. If puff back occurs it can be found in every nook and cranny, furniture, behind closed doors, inside cabinet drawers, and closets. You will need to get in touch with a professional restoration business that will inspect the premises and test various cleaning methods to get rid of the residue, as well as a trained HVAC technician to service your heating system. The goal of the professional restoration business is to return the home to its pre-puff back condition rapidly.
Posted in Insurance Topics | Tagged: Adult Care Facilities, Adult Family Homes, Assisted Living Facilities, brian barrick, Claims, Documentation, furnace, Insurance, PCALIC, Personal Care Homes | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Brian Barrick on January 31, 2012
Assisted Living Home residents, just like anyone else, needs to have fun in their life too. You can have holiday celebrations, musical events, exercise, and the list goes on and on, but you don’t want the residents getting bored with the same old bingo game do you? One activity that all residents are sure to enjoy is trips and tours to nearby museums and factories. Our local town has two different chip factory tours that are open to the public. Does your town or neighboring town have something like this?
The trips and tours can vary tremendously from festivals, historic sites, museums, and so much more. To raise money for these trips, your residents can have a bake sale or a craft sale or donations can be accepted for an event. The next step would be getting transportation to and from the event, which could be a bit difficult because of the fact that some residents are in wheelchairs. So, when you’re planning a trip or tour be sure to remember the age group, start a fundraiser for the event, and get all transportation information in order before hand and you should have a safe and fun filled trip or tour.
For a list of 20 tour ideas, visit www.pcalic.com and send us an e-mail!
Posted in Resident Activities | Tagged: Adult Care Facilities, Adult Family Homes, Assisted Living Facilities, PCALIC, Personal Care Homes, Resident Activities, residents | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Brian Barrick on January 29, 2012
Throughout the day we may be exhausted and ready for bed, but by the time bed time hits we’re wide awake and then we think of how exhausted we’re going to be the next day if we don’t get sleep and then that anxiety keeps us up. Wow, that is tiring! Here are some tips to get a better night’s sleep and feel rested the next day:
- Make a sleep schedule and stick to it. If you go to bed at 9 o’clock one day and midnight the next, your body is going to be confused so pick a time and stick to it, even on weekends and holidays. If you are still awake for 15 minutes after you go to bed, get up and do something relaxing and go back to bed when you’re tired.
- Keep an eye on what you eat and drink. Do not go to bed hungry or stuffed, also limit your beverage intake before bed so there are less sleep interruptions to the toilet. Nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol can disturb your sleep as well so use caution when using these.
- Try to manage your stress. You can do this by getting organized and prioritizing. Right before bed write what is on your mind and set it aside for tomorrow so you have a clear mind.
- Include physical activity in your daily routine, but don’t exercise right before bed. This will help you fall asleep and get a deeper sleep.
- Create a bedtime ritual. This will help your body wind down from the stress of the day. Activities you might think about doing are reading a book, taking a warm bath, listening to soothing music, etc.
Life can be very stressful for many folks right now, but it is important to get good night’s sleep for your health as well as your mood. Best of all it will make you look stunning; after all, everyone needs their beauty sleep.
Posted in Handy Tips | Tagged: 2012, self | Leave a Comment »
