Why Your Facility Needs Lifts

Safe lifting programs benefit everyone in your facility, from residents to caregivers and management. Numerous studies have shown that mechanical lifts are a key component of these programs and are preferable to training caregivers to use body mechanics because lifting adult residents is inherently unsafe.

If you haven’t yet invested in mechanical lifts for your facility, we invite you to consider the following benefits they provide.

Benefits for residents:

• Improved quality of care, safety, comfort and satisfaction
• Reduced risk of falls, being dropped, friction burns and dislocated shoulders
• Reduced likelihood of skin tears and bruises

Benefits for caregivers:

• Reduced risk of injury
• Improved job satisfaction and morale
• Pregnant caregivers can work longer
• Staff can work to an older age
• Caregivers have more energy at the end of their shifts
• Less daily pain and muscle fatigue
• Previously injured caregivers are less likely to be re-injured

Benefits for employers:

• Reduced number and severity of staff injuries
• Lower workers’ compensation medical and indemnity costs
• Improved resident safety
• Reduced lost and restricted workdays
• Less overtime and sick leave
• Improved recruitment and retention of caregivers
• Fewer resources required to replace injured staff

As a general rule, one full-body lift should be provided for every eight to 10 non-weight-bearing residents and one stand-up lift should be provided for every eight to 10 partially-weight-bearing residents.1

Concerned about cost? Research has shown that the monetary investment in lifting equipment and training can be recovered through reduced workers’ compensation expenses and costs associated with lost and restricted work days.

If you’re updating your safe lifting program, we encourage you to review the Sample Lift Program Policy and Guide that we recently added to our website. You can find this guide, which is based on OSHA recommendations, under Clinical Documentation on the product pages that feature lifts.

Whether you’re looking to purchase your first lifts or replace aging equipment, your ProMed territory manager is here to help. To connect with us, contact your territory manager, give us a call at (800) 648-5190 or visit us online at promedsupply.com.

Reference
1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Safe Lifting and Movement of Nursing Home Residents. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2006-117/pdfs/2006-117.pdf. Accessed January 7, 2015.

Study: Nursing Home Occupancy Steady, Independent Living Rises Again

According to new information from the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care, occupancy rates for nursing homes held steady in the fourth quarter of 2014 while the rate for independent living continued to increase.

The nursing home occupancy rate was reported as 88.3 percent and assisted living was 89 percent. Independent living grew 0.4 percentage points from the previous quarter to reach 91.3 percent.

To learn more, click here.

Study: Insulin Nasal Sprays Help Ease Alzheimer's Symptoms

Newly published research demonstrates that taking a man-made form of insulin nasal spray improves memory and cognition in people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. 

The researchers found that subjects who took the nasal spray for 21 days showed significant improvement in being able to retain and process verbal and visual information in the short term. Improvements were even seen in people who have the APOE-e4 gene, which has been historically resistant to other therapies and interventions. 

Insulin has been shown to play a part in memory processes and regulating blood sugar. Nasal insulin sprays have the benefit of allowing insulin to reach the brain without creating a blood sugar imbalance. 

To learn more, click here. 

Researchers: New Antibiotic Could Be Valuable Weapon Against MRSA

According to new research, a recently discovered type of antibiotic could be a "silver bullet" of sorts against potentially fatal infections that are common in LTC facilities. It could also potentially be a breakthrough in the fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

The antibiotic, called teixobactin, has the ability to rapidly clear infections. It attacks substances in the cell walls of harmful bacteria. Other antibiotics target bacterial proteins. Bacteria such as MRSA can begin producing different proteins, making them resistant to drugs. The researchers say it is highly unlikely that bacteria will become resistant to teixobactin.

Teixobactin is only effective against bacteria that have a cell wall, so it won't work on infections such as E.coli.

Although it could be two years before human trials with teixobactin begin, the researchers said they are excited about the implications of their work.

To learn more, click here.

Study: Failure to Administer Meds, Inadequate Supervision Tied to UTIs

Researchers have found that lapses in nursing care are significantly linked to the incidence or urinary tract infections, or UTIs.

The researchers found that there are seven categories of care linked to UTI incidence. The categories with the strongest correlation were failure to administer medications and lack of adequate supervision. These two categories accounted for 40 percent of the variance in the perfect of residents with UTIs.

The information the researchers studied was culled from Nursing Home Compare data and New Jersey state survey data.

To learn more, click here.

Start the New Year with a Perfect Survey

Does having a perfect survey in 2015 top your list of resolutions? If so, ProMed can help make that goal a reality.

Compliance Solutions: For the Perfect Survey Every Day, our exclusive Web-based survey preparation tool, is available at no charge to dedicated ProMed customers. The site will help you prepare for both the traditional and QIS survey and includes access to:

• The actual forms that surveyors use
• Exclusive tips from industry veterans
• Resources for tracking your survey preparedness
• Case studies to help you address how you would handle specific challenges in your own facility
• And much more!

New information is added on a monthly basis and the site is regularly updated to reflect updates from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

To learn more and register for Compliance Solutions: For the Perfect Survey Every Day, contact your ProMed territory manager or give us a call at (800) 648-5190.

Study: Outdoor Exercise Promotes Energy, Happiness for Middle-Aged Women

If you're a middle-aged woman and you've resolved to exercise more in 2015, researchers have a recommendation for you: head outdoors.

A small Canadian study found that women in their 50s and 60s who exercised outdoors exercised for longer and seemed to be happier than those who exercised indoors. The outdoor exercisers also showed a decrease in depressive symptoms and increased activity levels outside of the exercise sessions. The study's control group of women who exercised indoors didn't see a change in their general activity levels.

The study's senior author said that similar results have been shown in studies involving younger women.

To learn more, click here.