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Archive for May, 2011
“Good Enough” Is Not Enough
May 24th
The other day, I was talking to a prospective resident who was interested in moving into Evergreen Chalet, our assisted living facility in Vista, CA. At one point in the conversation, when I mentioned that we have only one or two group outings a year because most of our residents are not interested or able to go, he replied, “Oh, that’s OK; that is good enough for me.” I did not respond to that comment, but later on I started to think about it and decided to put my thoughts on paper.
I believe that the notion of “good enough” should be looked at from two different perspectives. First, from a personal, human perspective, i.e. how I, as an individual, feel about being “good enough,” and second, from a business perspective, i.e. what is “good enough” in the business world.
When it comes to “good enough” in our personal life, I feel very strongly that for us to be “good enough” should not be enough. I believe that we all should strive to be as close to “very good” (or great?) as possible. I cannot help but thinking that being “good enough” is like being average or mediocre. Granted, that’s not the More >
Falls in Assisted Living Facilities Part 2
May 7th
In the first part of this blog I covered the predisposing factors include, unsteady gait and balance, weak muscles, poor vision, medications, and dementia. There are also some medical conditions such as low blood pressure, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, arthritis, vertigo, poorly controlled diabetes, poorly controlled epilepsy, brain disorders and thyroid problems. We have some control over some of the factors and very little control or non at all over others. However, as I pointed out in the first part of my blog, we can at least have a program that assesses the risk factors and designates the appropriate fall risk prevention intervention.
In Part 2, I would like to look at other factors that can trigger falls, both in one’s home as well as in a facility, and see what the experts recommend we can do to eliminate them and thus preventing some of the falls.
In an article written by Donna V. Scaglione and published in Newsmax on April 7, 2011 entitled Step Carefully: 5 Ways to Prevent Falls the author mentions the following 5 steps we can take to minimize our risk of falling.
1. Consider your medication
Tell your healthcare provider if you fall, including details of the circumstances and how you More >
Falls in Assisted Living Facilities Part 1
May 5th
The elderly have an increased risk for falls and fall related injuries regardless if they live at home or in a assisted living/RCFE facility. I believe that each facility should have a fall assessment and prevention program to ensure resident safety.
At Evergreen Chalet we developed a program that has two components: 1. The assessment and reassessment component and 2. The fall risk prevention intervention component.
Here is the full description of the program:
Reducing the Risk of Falling at Evergreen Chalet
There are a number of risk factors that may lead to falls in the elderly population. Some risk factors can be managed, such as medication side effects, and muscle weakness; others such as degenerative neurological changes, cannot. Conducting a fall risk assessment, in combination with appropriate interventions, can reduce the risk of future falls. With this in mind, Evergreen Chalet has developed a program that is included in every resident’s care plan. This program is based on research and “best practices” published in professional journals, newsletters, and on-line journals as well as from information obtained at conferences and workshops.
Our program has two major components:
1. The assessment and reassessment component
2. The fall risk prevention intervention component.
The assessment and reassessment component – using the MORSE FALLS SCALE
Evergreen Chalet More >
