ALF Boss

Your Intentions are for Good Reasons

So, you have a resident that needs special attention or accommodations to be performed by your staff. As facility managers and administrators, we all know the struggle of getting our direct care staff to remember to perform those special requests. To remind your staff, you make a nice, clear sign and tape it on the wall next to the resident’s bed so your staff won’t forget and your resident gets the proper care.

 

You Can’t Do That

Even though you mean well, posting those signs is not permitted and you will get cited by AHCA. You are not allowed to post any signs because it violates the resident bill of rights.

429.28 Resident bill of rights.-

(b) Be treated with consideration and respect and with due recognition of personal dignity, individuality, and the need for privacy.

There are other ways to make sure that a specific task is being done by your staff:

  1. Have a staff communication book. Your staff can leave and read notes written by management and other staff when they come to work. You could write your daily reminders in there
  2. Require your staff to document that the special task was done by having them sign off in a facility logbook for that resident, kept where they clock in and out
  3. Create a group text for your staff and text daily reminders of tasks and issues
  4. Have frequent meetings with staff (group meetings or meetings with individual staff) and remind them of the tasks.

Take a tour of your resident rooms and make sure no signs are up. You will be surprised of how often third parties put these signs up without your knowledge (family members, hospice, home health and even your direct care staff).