Posted by Brian Barrick on May 7, 2012
It’s about that time to get your residents outside enjoying the fresh air. What better way than having a cookout? This will get your residents socializing and enjoy some HEALTHY grilled food with fun games, all while soaking up the summer sun. To have a cookout at your Assisted Living Facility you will need to have a grill or someone to cater, some outside games to play, and lawn chairs. To make it even more enjoyable for the residents you may consider inviting their families.
Posted in Resident Activities | Tagged: Adult Care Facilities, Adult Family Homes, Assisted Living Facilities, Personal Care Homes | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Brian Barrick on May 3, 2012
Back injuries are the most common workplace injury. Approximately 25 percent of all on-the-job accidents reported each year involve back injuries – and usually happen when employees are lifting something incorrectly.
Back injuries from incorrect lifting are just as common around the home. So, whether at home or at work, the following tips can help you lift safely.
- When you lift, push and pull with your legs – not your arms and back. Bend at your knees, not your waist, to help keep your center of balance.
- Avoid lifting higher than your shoulder height.
- Men, tone down the testosterone and use a hand truck to move heavy stuff. Don’t worry, she’ll still love you.
- Turn with your feet, not with your hips and shoulders. Twisting can overload your spine and lead to serious injury.
- Carry objects close to your body and use both hands. Avoid a long reach to pick something up.
Back injuries can be debilitating, so stay on the safe side and lift correctly.
Posted in Insurance Topics | Tagged: Adult Care Facilities, Assisted Living Facilities, Documentation, lift procedures, PCALIC, Personal Care Homes, residents, Risk Management, safety, workplace safety | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Brian Barrick on April 30, 2012
Silver&Fit is a workout craze among the senior citizen community that promotes healthy aging. There are health centers just for this type of exercise, there are also classes at some gyms, and you can find certified Silver&Fit instructors that can teach at your facility. The class combines aerobic, flexibility, and strength training in a positive, energizing environment to improve your strength, endurance, mobility, flexibility, and balance. This can help your residence restore confidence in themselves and help them with their physical wellbeing.
Posted in Resident Activities | Tagged: Adult Care Facilities, Adult Family Homes, Assisted Living Facilities, Resident Activities, residents | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Brian Barrick on April 27, 2012
Oak Street Funding (www.oakstreetfunding.com), the nation’s leading commission-based lender for insurance professionals, announced today a new strategic partnership with B.A. Barrick & Co., doing business as Nonprofit Insurance Services. The referral partnership provides new funding options to B.A. Barrick’s agents who need capital to buy, build or sell their agencies.
“B.A. Barrick has a broad reach into the specialty insurance market,” says Joe Castaldi, vice president of business development at Oak Street Funding. “Being able to expose Oak Street’s insurance agency resources and funding options to affiliated companies under the B.A. Barrick umbrella will be a win-win situation for both partners.”
Based in Hanover, Penn., B.A. Barrick currently operates three specialty insurance entities:
- PCALIC – A program administer for PCH Mutual Insurance Co. RRG, which is a risk retention group that specializes in providing insurance for assisted living facilities and personal care homes that serve senior citizens.
- AWOIP – An insurance agency that provides insurance protection for animal rescues, animal shelters and humane societies across the United States.
- Nonprofit Insurance Services – A retail insurance agency that provides insurance for a wide array of nonprofit and social service organizations.
“We look forward to our partnership with Oak Street Funding” said Brian Barrick, president and CEO of B.A. Barrick. “Many agents aren’t sure where to turn when they need funding. We liked the fact that Oak Street Funding understands the insurance business and we’re happy to refer them to agents who are seeking capital.”
Through its Strategic Partner Program, Oak Street Funding works with companies to enhance the value of their business network and build greater allegiance with members and colleagues by simply referring agents to a trusted source of operating and growth capital. For more information, contact Oak Street Funding’s business development and marketing department at 1-866-OAK-FUND or marketing.box@oakstreetfunding.com.
About Oak Street Funding
Carmel, Ind.-based Oak Street Funding (www.oakstreetfunding.com) is a family of diversified financial services companies that offers commission-based commercial financing exclusively for insurance professionals and third-party loan servicing for financial institutions. Oak Street Funding utilizes industry knowledge, proprietary technology and passion to deliver top-quality service and capital products to insurance and finance professionals nationwide. Oak Street Funding can be found on Twitter @OSFunding and on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/company/oak-street-funding.
Posted in Press Releases | Tagged: brian barrick, oak street funding, PCALIC | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Brian Barrick on April 26, 2012
Your home doesn’t have to be an open invitation to thieves; in fact, it can be the opposite. Here are ways you can make your residence one in which burglars will have no interest.
- Outdoor Lighting — Illuminate your home’s entry points (doors and windows) and make sure the lights shine on the house, not in the eyes of any “observers.”
- Burglar Alarms — For thieves, these alarms are a hassle, a big hassle, especially if the system is sophisticated.
- Landscaping — Don’t give burglars hiding places. Trim bushes away from doors and windows, and at least two feet up from the ground.
- Doors – A strong lock installed in a weak door isn’t a strong deterrent. Outside doors should be metal or solid hardwood and at least 1 ¾ inches thick. Frames should be made of equally strong material, and doors should fit their frames securely.
- Locks – The best bet here are deadbolts with heavy strike plates secured with three-inch steel screws.
- Marked Valuables — Make your property harder for thieves to sell, for example, by engraving an identifying mark such as your driver’s license number on your valuables.
- Secure Windows, Sliding Glass Doors — Drill through the corners of the sashes of double-hung windows and insert a removable metal pin. Secure sliding glass doors with a dowel placed in the lower track and flathead screws in the upper track.
- Neighborhood Watches — Participate in or organize a neighborhood watch program. A decal placed on a window near the entry points of your home will convey to burglars that they possibly are being watched
Posted in Handy Tips | Tagged: Adult Care Facilities, Adult Family Homes, Assisted Living Facilities, Documentation, PCALIC, Personal Care Homes, Risk Management, safety, workplace safety | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Brian Barrick on April 23, 2012
Basket bingo is a great idea for a nursing home or assisted living facility because the residents can feel good if the proceeds go to a good cause and they get to play a game that most enjoy. With basket bingo you can ask companies to donate baskets filled with stuff to give to the winners of bingo so that the proceeds can go to a charity or a society. All you need is the necessary bingo equipment, someone to call the numbers, another person to hand out the baskets, and the residents to invite their friends and families. Everyone loves playing bingo and almost all of the residents can participate since it is not a physical game.
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 April 19, 2012
It used to be commonly thought that “living green” meant spending more – buying organic foods, replacing appliances with those that save energy. Now, with the environment being one of the biggest concerns (along with everything else!) it’s becoming a better choice to choose a greener lifestyle. In the long run, the price may be just right to “go green.” Here are some tips to help you head in that direction. And if you need more ideas, the Internet is full of all kinds of information.
Start From Scratch. Think about making things from ‘scratch.’ Do what your grandmother did (I know, she didn’t work outside the house), and start a pot of soup that will last a couple of meals, and put some in the freezer for lunches. Crock pots are wonderful inventions! If you have small children, read the story of “Stone Soup,” and see what happens. Learn to knit or crochet. Even high school kids are starting to relearn these crafts.
Stop Your House From Leaking. Nothing is gained by heating or cooling the outside. Check all the weather-stripping around windows and doors. You can use a candle or a feather to check around frames if need be – usually just holding your hand out will let you know if there is a draft. Use rolled up rugs if need be at the bottom of doors.
Power Strips. Spend a little more and get the surge protected strips. Individually plugged in appliances use electricity even when they are off. Plug small kitchen appliances in only when needed or plug them into a power strip and turn the whole thing off when they’re not in use. Do you need the clock on the microwave or the coffeepot? If you have a clock on the stove, isn’t that enough? Your computer is also an energy user even when you shut down. Plug your PC, printer, modem, other peripherals into a strip and then turn it off when not in use.
Clean On The Cheap. Make your own cleaning products. There are a number of internet web sites that have recipes for creating earth friendly concoctions to clean with. And vinegar and newspaper still works just fine for cleaning windows.
Compact Fluorescent Bulbs. These are constantly being improved , and are proving to be a good investment. Plus the price is coming down so the initial cost is not so inhibiting. And more shapes are showing up on store shelves so they can be used in more places.
Posted in Handy Tips | Tagged: Adult Care Facilities, Adult Family Homes, Assisted Living Facilities, brian barrick, Documentation, living gree, PCALIC, Personal Care Homes, save money | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Brian Barrick on April 12, 2012
Elder abuse has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. Due to social isolation, mental and physical impairment, elders are more vulnerable than others. Locations of abuse are many and include the home, nursing homes, assisted living facilities or the public. Due to the occasionally stressful demands of caregivers for the elderly, caregivers sometimes find relief in taking advantage of someone that is more vulnerable.
Of the vast array of expenses that confront your organization, the most devastating are abuse, molestation, and sexual misconduct. It can occur between staff and clients, volunteers and clients, clients and clients, and clients and the public. It knows no physical or age barriers.
Like any other exposure, controls leading towards its prevention and management can be created and implemented. Such sophisticated activities, performed by a professional agency, can only act in the best interest of service to clients; the ultimate goal of the organization.
The short and long term emotional and physical effects of abuse, molestation and sexual misconduct on clients are obvious and devastating. The short and long term effects on the organization are less obvious, but extremely devastating, nonetheless.
As with any general safety issue, the problem needs to be clearly identified. In this case, it is abuse and/or molestation, including related misconduct. Next, the statement, prevention activities, and control techniques must be implemented. Implementation involves written procedures and tangible activities.
Posted in Claims, Insurance Topics | Tagged: Abuse Prevention, Adult Care Facilities, Adult Family Homes, brian barrick, Claims, Documentation, elder abuse, Incident Reporting, Insurance, PCALIC, Personal Care Homes, residents, Risk Management, safety | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Brian Barrick on April 9, 2012
Are you trying to think of an activity that all of your residents can participate in no matter what health they’re in? Well don’t think too much, just think cards. There are so many different kinds of card games out there and most of your residence will already know a lot of the card games from playing throughout there lives.
To hold a card night at your facility does not involve much. All you need to do is get a couple of decks of cards, an area to play, such as a cafeteria, and inviting your residence to partake in the card night. You can have different games at different tables so that you re sure that all of your residence will find a game that they truly enjoy.
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 April 5, 2012
Falls are the number one cause of facility-incurred injuries. One in every three people age 65 and older fall each year. It is important for you as care providers to implement procedures that help reduce the number of falls and exposure to falls. Highlighted below are 5 keys to reducing your exposure to falls:
- Implement Family Intervention Discussion Agreement
- Complete a Physician Notification of the resident’s condition for fall risks and forward to the physician of the resident
- Place employees on alert of any resident at risk of falls
- Have residents that are at risk wear a star or special pendant that alerts others this resident is at risk for falls
- Form a safety committee that acts as a “watchdog” for exposures that may lead to falls or ideas that may reduce fall exposures.
If you currently are not implementing the above forms or policies, be sure to check out www.pcalic.com where you can print these forms to use in your facility. Keeping your residents safe is your number one priority and we want to make it as efficient as possible for you.
Posted in Handy Tips | Tagged: Adult Care Facilities, Adult Family Homes, Assisted Living Facilities, brian barrick, Claims, Documentation, fall prevention, Personal Care Homes, residents, Risk Management | Leave a Comment »
