Living longer or needing extensive support can be a mixed blessing. Sometimes the chronically ill or frail individuals who may need assistance with the basic functions of living are led to reside in a facility such as a care, nursing or rehabilitation home. Many dependent elderly or not so elderly become extended care facility residents, where their physically demanding needs are both a challenge and a hazard to nursing aides and other caregivers.

Care home staff are caring individuals and often place more emphasis on patient safety issues than their own. Such circumstances have led to employees sustaining frequent and often severe workplace injuries, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Nationally, care home workers have experienced injuries and illnesses at an alarming rate. BLS reported in 2006 that for Standard Industrial Code 8050, the extended-care facility injury and illness incident rate was 9.8 in comparison with a private industry incident rate of 4.4. This fact is largely why BWC’s Division of Safety & Hygiene and numerous federal agencies have focused on the extended-care facility industry for accelerated hazard-control activities.

There are many reasons for the high injury and illness rates in such facilities. Injuries occur due to the high incidence of resident transfers. According to the BLS:

• Nursing home workers suffer most injuries when handling residents (51.2 percent);
• Fifty-eight percent of their injuries were strains and sprains;
• While back injuries account for 27 percent of all injuries in the private sector, they account for 42 percent in nursing homes;
• One of the 10 occupations with the highest number of injuries and illnesses,

In addition, according to BWC statistics, back injuries average more than $23,000 in workers’ compensation expenses.

In some facilities, residents are completely dependent on staff members to provide for their daily living activities. Recent hospital trends indicate these facilities send older, more dependent patients to extended-care facilities for care in an attempt to cut rising hospital costs. The nurses’ aides are those workers who primarily assist residents with their daily needs which in turn creates repetition in actions, movement and more strain.

Care facilities dedicated to quality resident care, and maintaining a quality and stable work force, have risks inherent to the business that have been controlled. Attention to risk factors and controls, a strong management commitment, involvement of the employees, strong and regular safety awareness training, and progressive claims management are commonalties in these institutions.

Here are some ideas on how you can help create a better and safer work environment for your staff:

-The administrator advises safety with coaching and mentoring with visibility being the key. By being in a group program it reduces strain and pressure on everyone…Everyone helping everyone

-Administrators need to be out helping staff to gain the opportunity to see the problems of staff members.

-Senior managers must personalize the work environment and get to know their employees, and treat them like family;

-Get people involved and take injury prevention seriously

-Team-lift policies prevent individual handling by any one employee.

-Regulations are not a terrible imposition; accept them and build for these minimum standards. Try to reach excellence in daily operations. Make everyone feel like a part of the team and be genuine in your efforts

-Be sure to show injured workers that management cares about them

-Management values employee suggestions and acts upon them in a timely manner

By working with your team this way it shows them respect, concern and your the ability to lead a team in a powerful and caring manner. This leads to several positive changes in the work environment as well, such as:
“Reductions in injury frequency and severity Improvements in employee/management communications, Heightened safety awareness, Employee morale, attitude and productivity improved and they share common accomplishments.”

All of this needs to begin from the top. The team leaders, administrator and managers. Your commitment gives you in return a commitment from them which then reflects upon the safety and patient care. By you providing a visible and active voice in all the process, this gives them the opportunity to follow a great example. Regular meetings for staff moral and support, with a team lead and a coach is more productive than any book one can read. It’s hand on and they feel included and they feel more important. They are being heard.
You are giving them the assurance that they are someone and not just another “employee” and that your being a part of a healthy team means so much to them.

Be sure as a team lead to compensate them when possibilities arise.
This does not necessarily mean that they should have an increase in pay, some programs offer recognition for a job well done with awards ranging from simple praise to monetary incentives for completion of goals.

It is your responsibility to maintain a mission that includes quality care for residents and workers.

Be safe!
Nicole Gruendl
www.NicoleGruendl.com

Our children are most important to us . However, our love is the biggest gift we could ever give to our children. Here are some ways to show love that will support them in creating a more fulfilling and loving life!

1. Spend Time with Your Children –Our Time is the most precious gift we can give to our children. By taking time out of our busy schedules to see what they are involved in is a precious gift.
2. Be a Strong Role Model — Teach practical values to your children by modeling those values.  Use words like “I’m sorry,” “please,” and “thank you.”
3. Listen to Your Children –  Children need to communicate their pride of accomplishment as well as their needs. If you listen to your children deeply, they will grow up listening deeply to you.
4. Provide Loving Discipline — Use non-violent forms of discipline. Children need guidelines and safe boundaries without being constrained unnecessarily.
5. Always be Encouraging — Encouraging words are powerful emotional deposits of confidence and self-esteem. Loving them and praising their accomplishments are all part of this process.
6. Be emotionally available for your children  –  When your child is angry, argumentative or in a bad mood, give him a hug, cuddle, pat, secret sign or other gesture of affection he favors and talk with him about his feelings.
7. Share Your Experiences with Your Children – We all have valuable, life learning stories to share with our children.  Sharing these stories is a loving way to guide your children.
8. Provide unconditional Love and Support — Love is an unconditional gift from the heart;  This message creates a sturdy bond of trust and your children will grow to feel safe in coming to you with any problem they face.
9. Own a Pet — Owning a pet can make children, especially those with chronic illnesses and disabilities, feel better by stimulating physical activity, enhancing their overall attitude, and offering constant companionship.
10. Make family Time — Mark family game nights on your calendar so the entire family can be together. This encourages a strong bond that will then create a more loving, encouraging and forgiving family.
11. Involve your children in cooking activities — One of the best ways to familiarize your child with good food choices is to encourage him to cook with you.
12. Provide the Necessary Tools for their Personal Growth – Provide them with  as much as possible by encouraging them and providing the equipment and instruction needed in this growth, whether it be educational, spiritual or sports oriented.
13. LOVE is the one word that can sum up If you could sum up , all of our children’s needs, hopes, and expectations in one word, that word would be LOVE . We share love in every aspect of their lives and by doing so, this creates a guiding influence for our children  for many generations.
14. And last but not least…NEVER ever stop telling your children that you LOVE them.