PREVENTION. PREDICTION. EDUCATION.
introduced “Violet,” a hospital-grade ultraviolet-light air disinfection system. “Having higher-level technologies that
are visible to both residents and visitors and family members also creates a higher level of trust in the infection control process,” Breneman says. “‘Violet’ is a great example of a highly visible tool in the community environment that also creates a sense of validation toward cleaning protocols.” Ecolab’s Bakken recommends considering the impact on employees when adopting new equipment or maintenance procedures since those staff members will be doing the work. “Emerging solutions such as ergonomic
cleaning tools or high efficiency applica- tors can come with a learning curve so it’s important to pay special attention to manufacturer’s instructions for use as they may be new tools for the staff or present unforeseen safety considerations,” Bakken says. “There have also been advancements with environmental sensors that provide digital insights to help staff make more targeted decisions about maintenance, such as cleaning the most-used areas more frequently or addressing special risks based on residents’ habits.” Increasingly sophisticated technology and equipment designed to improve air quality can help, but Sloan and Martinez caution managers to be wary of bold claims and to investigate these with the help of experts. While many technologies, such as ventila- tion filtration, are tried and true, others may not be as useful. “It is a challenge to kind of separate the
wheat from the chaff to figure out which ones are appropriate for your facility,” says Sloan.
“There’s a lot of misinformation out there, and it can get very complicated very quickly.”
Preparedness planning Emergency planning is an interdisciplinary process, but maintenance serves as “the driving force for compliance and education to the team,” Juniper’s Breneman says. “Maintenance supports major systems of
physical plant and other protocols, which might be impacted during emergencies,” Breneman says. “The fact is that emer- gency events have shown to be increasingly unique, and even with the best planning, every emergency plan must be fully adjust- able. A great example is the transferability of IT infrastructure and communication platforms to evacuation points.” Manna, of Pegasus, says preparation, planning and practice are at the heart of readiness for emergency situations. “We focus on ongoing drills, emergency
procedure manuals, and training,” Manna says. “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.” What matters for utilities in emergency planning is redundancy, says APPI’s Lewis. “Understanding your options for backup
power will move to an understanding of power requirements, natural gas require- ments, and what is available from an in- frastructure standpoint in your location, or what size of storage tanks will be needed to
power cogeneration equipment in the event of a brown-out or power outage,” Lewis says. “This equipment needs to be tested regularly and all testing and preventative maintenance logs documented.” Extreme weather conditions affect the
electric energy grid in summer and winter, Towb points out. If a community’s HVAC uses minimal electricity, it helps create stable energy usage for community backup power generations and resiliency planning, he says. Remote access and preventative maintenance strategies can clarify when a system has problems in advance. “For example, if you know one of your
HVAC systems has a low refrigerant charge before the hottest summer days or coldest winter months, you can fix the problem in the shoulder season months to avoid costly emergencies,” Towb says.
“Holistic” maintenance Bakken says keys to developing and main- taining good maintenance habits include “establishing a comprehensive program that promotes a healthy environment, find- ing the right partner to help you achieve your goals, and implementing a validation process to help measure and optimize pro- gram effectiveness.” Maintenance programs, she says, are becoming “more holistic” for a reason. “Comprehensive programs…can help
make the people in the community feel safer, be more productive, and have a better sense of well-being,” Bakken says. “Bringing together the right tools with the right proce- dures and program validation can help pro- vide a comfortable, healthy environment.”
Redundancy is central to emergency planning as it relates to utilities, says Michael Lewis, senior client advisor, energy solutions, for APPI. “Understanding your options for backup power will move to an understanding of power requirements, natural gas requirements, and what is available from an infrastructure standpoint in your location, or what size of storage tanks will be needed to power cogeneration equipment in the event of a brown-out or power outage. This equipment needs to be tested regularly and all testing and preventative maintenance logs documented.”
12 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE MAY/JUNE 2022
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