PREVENTION. PREDICTION. EDUCATION.
‘Basic Maintenance’ Becomes a Complex and Critical Tool in Preparedness
BY TOM GRESHAM
Among the many impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on senior living com- munities has been an intensified focus on the crucial importance of maintenance to creating and sustaining a clean, safe envi- ronment. As Marc Manna, vice president of facilities maintenance for Pegasus Senior Living, says, an emphasis on maintenance should be a constant, but “in times of con- cern, the focus on these items does become magnified.” “Now more than ever, providing a safe,
healthy environment for our residents, as- sociates, and family members needs to be a top priority,” Manna says. Edward Burton, vice president of special
operations at ALG Senior, agreed, saying “There has never been a more important time for good ongoing habits in mainte- nance and environmental services.” Burton calls a healthy workplace environ-
ment “the lifeblood” of a successful senior living team that serves its residents. Residents and prospective residents
notice, too. Amanda Bakken, lead chemist, research, development, and engineering at Ecolab, pointed to a survey from the American Seniors Housing Association and
ProMatura that found that the No. 1 factor to influence move-ins at senior living com- munities is “an environment with attention to physical safety and infection prevention and control.” “Developing good ongoing maintenance
habits is critical to helping achieve and maintain a healthy environment as they can have a direct impact on resident qual- ity of life as well as top- and bottom-line potential,” Bakken says. “Although the current climate has made
healthy environments a more prevalent topic of discussion, healthy environments have always been a top priority within se- nior living communities — where residents live, socialize and dine in close contact with one another and are at a greater risk of infection.”
What you can’t see Maintenance can be enlisted to play a vital role in mitigating heightened infection risks in a community. Well-trained team mem- bers, Burton says, help monitor effective practices and contribute to the ongoing identification and treatment of new patho- gens and other risks to the community.
“Keeping the health care environment
clean from dangerous viruses and patho- gens is a resident safety/care initiative,” Burton says. “Many of our residents have compromised immune systems. Everything that we do to prevent infection and cross contamination is job one.” Donald F. Breneman, vice president of
risk management and business operations at Juniper Communities, says all stakeholders in senior living communities need to buy into the importance of infection control. “Routine best practices within the mainte-
nance and environmental services department support practice standards for health and safety,” he says. “These high standards help promote an environment of well-being for all.” Juniper emphasizes that the responsibility
lies with everyone to practice basic infection control, he says: “By creating this founda- tion and threading it through all tasks, a greater success rate can be achieved.” At the heart of this, Breneman says, is
the understanding that “habits are formed through repetitive cues and training.” “It’s important to diversify training op- portunities in a way that supports the indi- vidual learning process whenever possible.”
“We focus on ongoing drills, emergency procedure manuals, and training,” says Marc Manna, vice president of facilities maintenance for Pegasus Senior Living. “Site inspections are conducted routinely by our risk manager. During the recent hurricane in New Orleans, we had to evacuate all of our residents to two of our sister communities. Through prior planning and preparation, we were able to do this successfully and keep the residents safe and comfortable.”
10 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE MAY/JUNE 2022
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