Cleanliness, patient safety and overall well-being and satisfaction of patients and staff are among the qualities of a nursing home that truly does care.
Safety, cleanliness and patient happiness are among the main qualities of clinical excellence displayed at nursing homes that really do care. The nursing homes with the best practices support residents so that they can be as healthy, clean, safe and happy as possible. A well-cared-for-feeling helps residents live with dignity and comfort. Along with the patients’ satisfaction, you also want the employees to have a sense of accomplishment. They should be proud and know that their jobs are invaluable to your family.Expectations of nursing home staff
When it comes to resident safety, there are specific expectations for the supervisor as well as the staff of an exemplary nursing home. “Safety is a 24/7 job, and it should be everyone’s concern,” said Joseph Stanley, managing partner at Stanley Law. “These are people that need 24/7 care, so that is the primary obligation and concern that they are kept safe.” Along with this, sufficient staffing and supervision are needed to ensure that proper safety standards are implemented and practiced. Two foundational elements of an excellent nursing home’s model are qualified staffing and reasonable wages. These practices ensure that each staff member is content with his or her position, and they can focus on the residents. A happy staff greatly contributes to the overall atmosphere of a nursing home, and the positive outlook rubs off on residents. “Safety is part of the institutional mantra,” said Stanley.
How to best handle mistakes in the nursing home
When it comes to resolving mistakes made, it is best to get to the root of the issue, and then create a strategy for preventing future occurrences. Over time, if you continue to have the same mistake or the same errors for the same reason, then you have to come to a level where there is more encouragement to do the right thing. At this time, it may also help to ask questions, according to Stanley, specifically regarding the staffing and training of the facility.
Pay attention to patients’ happiness
“How do you tell that someone is happy?” asked Stanley. “Well, they’re clean, they don’t have bed sores, and they appear to enjoy themselves. And they’re actually participating and engaging with what’s going on in the facility, rather than just being in a bed 24 hours a day.” The bottom line, according to Stanley, is that you have to have an adequate number of people who are trained and paid sufficiently well, such that they engage and hope to accomplish something. “Nobody wants a job where they are in a hopeless situation,” Stanley said. “When you have that situation, it’s bad for the employees, and it’s bad for the residents.” The facility’s core values and overall goals should be visible in their practices, enhancing the quality of patient care, but it is also important to note that it is not always about money. Many models of excellence deal with adequately delivering the services in the proper manner and getting more people involved.
