Education, and Engagement to Promote


RESIDENT SAFETY


BY JANE ADLER


Elder abuse can take many forms in community settings. In one case, a resident was being bullied by her neighbor. She was reluctant to speak out and became depressed, and her family eventually moved her to a different community. An- other resident was treated roughly by a caregiver at a com- munity that was understaffed. In another case, an executive director of an assisted living community discovered a resi- dent’s son was misappropriating funds from the resident’s bank account, draining money needed to pay for care. These situations illustrate why the safety of residents


and a focus on combating elder abuse is a top industry priority. Senior living providers universally recognize the importance of keeping residents safe and happy. Not only are they responsible for an often frailer than average popu- lation, but satisfied residents are more likely to thrive.


But what are the best practices to ensure resident safety?


How can education and engagement be used to promote resident safety? Luckily, experts have put forth a host of best practices and new tools to help educate managers, workers, family members, and residents. In fact, resident safety emerged as a major initiative this year at Argentum, which released a resident safety toolkit through its Senior Living IQ initia- tive at seniorlivingiq.org. The basic ingredients of a successful resident safety


program include the careful screening of job applicants, rigorous job training, adequate staffing to prevent burn- out, outreach to families and professionals, leadership that models company values and empathetic behavior, and a quick response to any incidents that may occur.


Using Best Practices,


6 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE JULY/AUGUST 2018


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