Welcome to our new Blog format: “Shift Happens!”
We‘ve learned a lot about helping our elderly and have used that knowledge to build ourselves into a top-quality senior assisted-living company. Just like all other senior living homes, we have stuff that happens on every shift that challenge us, teach us, and remind us of how to fulfill our mission even better every day. Through this blog, we would like to share with you each month a lesson we’ve learned and the story behind that lesson. We hope it helps others grow and improve as we are doing.
This month’s Lesson: Ensure new residents have been fully checked by a doctor prior to accepting them into the home.
By Pam Vance – Hayden Manager
The learning process is exciting, and it has its challenges! As I went through different scenarios in life, I found out that challenges come in many faces. Let me tell you a story.
I am truly concerned about the well-being of our residents. A few years back, I was receiving a new resident in our home. Shortly after we got him settled, I noticed he was scratching often. Then I noticed some of our residents started scratching as well. I let his daughter know about the issue and suggested consulting with a dermatologist I trust. The daughter refused and the issue kept on going.
This scratching by our residents kept on for two (2) weeks. Finally, after asking several more times, I strongly insisted the new resident visit a doctor the family trusted, and they agreed. It turned out he had a skin infection which was very infectious and could have been treated easily within the first several days.
After that unfortunate incident, I made a solid decision: I would only receive new residents after they gave me exam results which showed they have nothing contagious. It is the best way to protect my staff, my residents and myself.
