What if you could watch a video of a fall and know if the environment played a role instead of using your standard post fall assessment checklist and guessing what happened?
All of our communities have post fall assessments that include an environmental checklist to review if the resident’s surroundings influenced their fall. The check list includes various items like examining the room for clutter, obstacles, area rugs, items within reach and/or out of reach, etc. Prior to SafelyYou, our communities felt helpless when they tried different tactics to reduce the memory care residents falls and nothing was working. We often would hear, “we tried X, but they fell again.” Now with SafelyYou-Discover, they can validate through video review what changes will truly make a difference. No more guessing.
Here are some of the useful lessons our communities have learned through video review:
- Do not place items in lower shelves when they can’t support themselves.
- Location of frequently accessed items should be visible. If nothing is on the dresser or side table, the resident will continuously open drawers or closets to find their item.
- When care staff leave the room, always close closet doors to minimize the desire to get up.
- When care staff leave the room, always place shoes close to the resident if they can ambulate, otherwise, they should be out of sight to reduce the desire to get out of bed.
- Too many things in the room can be distracting to a resident. You want to make the room feel homey, but minimize the clutter.
- Continuously review the furniture in the room based on their ambulatory status. Example: The residents favorite chair when they were living at home may be too low and they are no longer able to go from sit to stand. In order for the resident to get out they lower themselves to the ground.
Stop guessing and find out how our communities have been empowered through video review to ensure their resident’s rooms are designed to reduce the likelihood of falling. Contact us today to learn more.
