How to Properly Address Safety Issues at an Assisted Living Facility

June 9, 2015 by ·

Assisted Living in Satsuma AL

There are different ways to go about addressing various issues. When you’re living at an assisted living community or have a loved one there, you may be concerned about safety. That is one of the top priorities for family members concerned about their aging loved ones.Assisted Living in Satsuma AL

In truth, falls are the number one cause of accidental death among seniors. As people get older their body changes and begins to lose muscle mass and strength. That directly affects their ability to remain balanced and avoid falling down. With regard to safety, though, there are many other risk factors that a senior will face, whether they are living at home alone, with somebody else, or in a community like an assisted living facility.

Now, there are positive ways to deal with safety issues and negative ways. A negative way would be confrontational. For example, a person may be concerned about the safety of their aging mother at a particular facility. Their mother might have told them there was nobody around when she was trying to get into or out of the shower, even though somebody was supposed to be there with her during those times.

This person could call or stop by the facility and immediately demand to speak to an administrator or manager on duty. Before the person even gets an opportunity to address the situation, that family member ‘lays into them’ and yells at them for putting their loved one at risk. They might be demanding something change, threatening to have their loved one moved somewhere else, or some other action that could be taken.  Threatening legal action, mentioning all about lawyers, and more may seem like a great way to get attention, but it doesn’t solve any issues.

A positive way to go about dealing with safety issues is to fully understand what those issues happen to be. Maybe the senior is nervous about their ability to get up and down the hallway. Maybe they had trouble getting out of bed in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and called for help but help didn’t show up for 10 minutes.

Next, talking to an administrator is a good idea, but keeping a level head is the best way to actually achieve results and find out precisely what happened, whether it was a miscommunication, or something else needs to be addressed.

Most assisted living facilities in the United States put safety of their residents as a top priority. Assuming otherwise does a disservice to you, the elderly resident, and the staff members who are dedicated to providing optimal support to all of their aging residents.

If you or an aging loved one are considering Assisted Living in Satsuma AL, contact Ashbury Manor Specialty Care and Assisted Living at 251-317-3017.

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About Cindy Johnson

Ashbury Manor’s Administrator since 2008, Cindy Johnson is a long-time expert in the assisted living field. Prior to her arrival at Ashbury Manor, Cindy managed acquisitions and crisis management for existing and new larger senior care project developments for eleven years. As regional manager for an Oregon-based assisted living management company, Cindy was directly responsible for operations for five 50-65 bed assisted living facilities. As manager during the transition to new ownership, Cindy reorganized internal operations and conducted leadership training for Executive Directors. As a result of her management and expertise, one of the company’s facilities (in Ocala, Florida) received a deficiency-free survey, resulting in the lifting of a moratorium on operation.

A nurse for 36 years, senior care has always been Cindy’s passion. Desiring to work more closely with residents, Cindy became a Category II Administrator in 2005. As Ashbury Manor’s Administrator, Cindy understands the complexities associated with dementia and cognitive impairment and she has fallen in love with seniors with dementia or cognitive impairment and their families.

Cindy is Treasurer of the local “Senior Coalition” chapter. She enjoys mentoring new candidates who want to become administrators.

As a 16-bed facility, with Cindy's training and experience, our residents and their families can be sure Ashbury Manor’s carefully selected staff provides the expertise of a larger facility while maintaining the individualized personal care of a small special needs home.
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