Professional Caregiver Blog

It is that time of year; the time when we start gathering all of our financial information and meeting with our accountants to begin preparing our tax returns. It may be helpful to notify your residents and their responsible parties that in some circumstances the money they have paid for assisted living services may be tax deductible. You should always avoid giving specific tax advice, of course, but you can refer them to IRS Publication 502 that explains more about deductible medical and dental expenses. (more…)

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On Monday we held our our 2010 Assisted Living Medication Summit, and we heard from several presenters and speakers of an increase in narcotic thefts in communities around the country. While we do not have any hard statistics to confirm this, it does remind us of the importance of safeguarding narcotics in your community. The narcotic medications you are storing in your community can be sold for hundreds, maybe thousands, of dollars on the street. Here are some tips provided by Kimberley Garrison, RN, MSN, ARNP during her presentation at the Medication Summit: (more…)

Tags: , Administration, ARF, assisted living, elderly, Group Home, licensing, RCFE, Resident Care, Residental Care, residential care, seniors // Add Comment »

On Monday we held our our 2010 Assisted Living Mediction Summit, and one of the most common questions from California-based attendees was regarding hospice medications. More specifically, who may administer medications to a resident on hospice. Here is an answer to this from a recent CCL clarification: (more…)

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Lately we have received questions from several Tuesday Tip subscribers asking how long to keep resident records in their California RCFE. California RCFE Regulation 87506 clearly states: (more…)

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State regulations vary on what must be kept in a resident’s record in an assisted living community, but typically it includes a combination of resident care information (e.g., assessments, medication records, narrative notes, etc.) and financial/legal information (e.g., the residency agreement). Because of this, many providers choose to keep two separate records for each resident: one for resident care information, and another for financial information.  (more…)

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With the holiday season in full swing, you have certainly spent lots of time preparing many special events and treats for your residents; but don’t forget about your staff. This is an important time of year for them as well, and it is likely many of them will spend at least part of their holiday in your community, caring for your residents.

Although this year’s rough economy might make it difficult to provide a financial reward for your staff, you can still provide a meaningful and rewarding recognition of their hard work and dedication. Here are a few quick ideas: (more…)

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Every Administrator has reviewed and is familiar with Title 22 Regulations governing the operation of his/her community. However, you should also be familiar with the actual Health and Safety Code that the regulations are based on. (more…)

Tags: , ARF, assisted living, CCLD, licensing, RCFE, Residental Care, state regulations // Add Comment »

This week’s tip comes from a recent update released by Community Care Licensing (CCLD).  Although current California regulations refer to “universal precautions,” current infection-control techniques have advanced and today “standard precautions” (which include universal precautions) are considered the basic level of infection control. (more…)

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Do you care for a resident whose behavior threatens his/her safety or the safety of others?  Does he wander outside late at night?  Does he refuse to take prescribed medications?  Does he strike out at others?

You must never ignore potentially dangerous behaviors; your response can save someone’s life.  While the exact interventions will vary based on the behavior, the resident, and other circumstances, here is a quick checklist of what should be included as part of your response to any potentially dangerous behavior: (more…)

Tags: , Alzheimer's disease, ARF, assisted living, dementia, licensing, RCFE, Residental Care // Add Comment »

Don’t forget!  When completing your required RCFE Administrator continuing education hours, you must include at least 8 hours on Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.  California RCFE regulation 87407 “Administrator Recertification Requirements” states: (more…)

Tags: , Alzheimer's disease, assisted living, CCLD, certification, Continuing Education, RCFE, Residental Care // Add Comment »