This week a Tuesday Tip subscriber asked us for clarification on assisting residents with PRN medications. This is a common area of confusion for providers and caregivers. Fortunately this is addressed in RCFE Regulation 87465, which clarifies that the amount of assistance that can be provided and when the physician must be called is based [...]
It is becoming increasingly common for residents and their families to hire privately paid caregivers to provide additional companionship and services to residents living in an RCFE. This type of arrangement raises many questions, including this one that we received from a Tuesday Tip subscriber:
Over 80% of assisted living residents require assistance with medications. In addition to ensuring safe handling of medications and timely administration, it is also critical to monitor for side effects–which our residents are particularly susceptible to.
Not signing off on medication assistance records (MAR) is a significant liability, compliance, and care concern. Have all medication staff audit records from the previous shift.
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 [...]
Our Tuesday Tip this week is in reponse to a question regarding when a caregiver can begin assisting residents with medications.
This week’s Tip is from a California Community Care Licensing (CCLD) policy response to the California Assisted Living Association (CALA) and California Hospice and Palliative Care Association (CHAPCA): Is an exception required for hospice resident medications to be crushed?