Of the vast array of expenses that confront your organization, one of the most devastating is abuse, molestation, and misconduct. It can occur between staff and resident, volunteer and resident, resident and resident, and resident and the public. It knows no physical or age barriers.

Abuse Prevention Video

The skin is our outer layer of protection from many enviromental stresses in addition to assisting in regulating our body temperature and other body functions. Protecting the skin and maintaining healthy skin for your residents is important. As we age the skin becomes thinner, less elastic and frequently drier. In addition, as we age, the healing process tends to slow. Therefore, residents should be observed regularly for signs of skin breakdown and steps should be implemented to reduce the residents exposure to skin breakdown in the facility.

Records are a durable account of what has happened. Courts may place more trust in records than in eyewitnesses. This may be true because documentation is an immediate response, and eyewitness accounts may be told long after the event is fresh in the observer’s memory. The record can be the facilities tool in defending against charges of errors and misconduct. In addition to background material, treatment plan, record of treatment intervention, progress notes, critical incident reports and routine information, the record should contain documentation of all unusual events.

Wandering by a resident with dementia can result in elopement from your facility. If a resident is not found quickly, injury or possibly death can occur.

The older a person gets, the more likely they are to fall. A fall can be devastating for an elderly person. Their independence is threatened and a short term or permanent impairment of mobility can occur. They may no longer be able to stay in assisted living and have to be moved to a skilled care setting depending on the severity of the injuries death can occur.

For the past several years, the assisted living industry has been in a crisis mode. In many cases, residents are not being cared for properly, and basic care standards are not followed. Insurance claims for liability and worker’s compensation are among the highest in the nation. Here you will find the tools you need to make sure your facility is following best practice procedures. You can download the full manual, or see below for a breakdown of the most common alleged professional liability claims.