Private Duty Caregivers

I have been getting a lot of questions on Private Duty Caregivers. The
following is the latest from Community Care Licensing. This is from the
quarterly updates at the following link:

http://ccld.ca.gov/res/pdf/ASCspring2012.pdf

PRIVATELY PAID PERSONAL ASSISTANTS

An RCFE licensee cannot require a resident to hire a 24-hour caregiver.
Under Health & Safety Code section 1569.312, a RCFE must provide basic
services, which by definition include assistance with activities of daily
living. Regulation sections 87464(f) - Basic Services and 87608(a) - Personal
Assistance and Care describe these services that required to be provided by
the licensee to meet the needs of residents such as safe and healthful living
accommodations; personal assistance and care; observation and supervision;
planned activities; food service; and arrangements for obtaining incidental
medical and dental care. The licensee cannot delegate these services.
The services of privately paid personal assistants do not relieve the licensee
of the responsibility to meet all licensing statutory and regulatory
requirements. The licensee must ensure that there is always sufficient staff
to meet the resident’s needs, and that staff are aware of the resident’s
current overall health and safety needs.

Adult and Senior Care Update – Spring 2012 Page 4
Privately paid personal assistants may only provide services other than those
the licensee is required to provide. The assistants can provide companionship,
or additional baths beyond what the licensee is required to provide. They
cannot assist the resident with care relating to any incidental medical
services described under regulation sections 87605 through 87631. Some of
those services include postural supports, oxygen administration,
colostomy/ileostomy care, catheter care and injections.
The RCFE statutes and regulations do not prohibit RCFE residents from hiring
private paid personal assistants and do not require a private paid personal
assistant to be an employee of a RCFE. In addition, licensees are not
prohibited from requiring in their admission agreement that residents hire
only employees of the licensee. Private paid personal assistants must,
however, have a criminal record clearance or exemption, and can only provide
specified services to the resident.

Thanksgiving Food Safety

It's the start of another holiday season so to get it going in the best way possible let's talk about food.

We all love to enjoy a holiday feast but when food is not prepared with care the feast can cause food borne illnesses that can be severe or life threatening to our elderly or frail residents.  According to the FDA there are 4 things to remember to prevent food borne illness.

1.  Keep it CLEAN! - Make sure hands, utensils and prep surfaces are constantly kept clean.

2. SEPARATE Foods! - Do not allow bacteria to cross contaminate from raw foods to prepared foods.

3. COOK it Through! - Make sure cooked foods, especially meat and poultry, are cooked to the proper temperatures.  Turkey should be 165 degrees internal temperature.

4. Don't Forget to CHILL! - Refrigerate leftovers quickly!  Bacteria grows fast at room temperature. 

One more tip. Do not stuff your turkey.  Stuffing is the leading cause of food borne illness on Thanksgiving.  Why?  This is classic cross contamination.  In most cases the stuffing does not reach 165 degrees so it's an ideal spot for bacteria to grow.  It's safer to cook your stuffing in a casserole dish. 

Here's a stuffing recipe and a related article.

One more stuffing recipe for fun!

When the food is on the table have a glass of wine.

For more Food Safety info click these links!

1. Countdown to Thanksgiving    
2. Seasonal Food Safety 
3. Cooking for Groups  
4. What to do in an Emergency 
5. Don't Forget the PIE! (Safety related - because it's not safe for the cook to forget the pie.  There could be a revolt.)  

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

2012 - 2013 Flu Season

As we enter into the 2012-2013 flu season I just wanted to put out a reminder to get your flu shots.  Most Walgreens, CVS, and Wal-Mart stores have flu shots available without an appointment.  Some pharmacies will even come to your facility to provide them to your staff and residents.  The cost is minimal.  Usually between $20-$30.  Look for local clinics for the best deals.   

 

Please use the following resource from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to educate yourself, your staff, and your visitors.

What You Should Know for the 2012-2013 Influenza Season 

 

Have you or your staff gotten a flu vaccination?  Let us know.  Leave a comment on our Facebook page.

Loss of Balance, Not Slips/Trips, is Leading Cause of Falls in Elderly

A recent study which utilized video footage of elderly individual's accidental falls has concluded that loss of balance is the leading cause of falls in the elderly.  Tripping came in at number 2.  The reason for the loss of balance is the remaining question.  The study suggests that it could be as simple getting folks to use a walker or cane.  This sounds like common sense to me, but how do you convince someone that they must use a device for balance?  Maybe you have an idea.  Read the article here then leave a comment on our Facebook page.

Here's the NPR article.
Here's a link to the original article.

New Alzheimer's Drug

This was all over the news last night and this morning.  A recent study aimed to target the removal of Beta Amyloid, which is the protein in the brain believed to be the cause of Alzheimer's disease, has shown some encouraging results.  So far, it appears that the drug solanezumab can slow the progression of Alzheimer's in mid-stage patients.  In an earlier trial the drug had no effect on late stage patients but in the second trial it slowed the progression by 20%.  Please read these related articles.

Wall Street Journal - New Data Released on Lilly Alzheimer's Drug

USA Today - Alzheimer's drug shows positive results in mild cases

Chicago Tribune - Alzheimer's drug shows promise

Total Care Addendum

I have been getting a lot of questions on the Total Care Addendum, which is to be added to your Hospice Waiver.  The Total Care Addendum replace the requirement to request an exception for a "prohibited health condition".  The new addendum should be completed and sent into your local LPA.  You can ask for up to the same amount of residents as you have your Hospice Waiver approved for. 

The following is where you can find the updated information in the Evaluator's Manuel.

http://www.ccld.ca.gov/res/pdf/10rcfe04.pdf

National Senior Citizens Day, 8/21/2012

On August 19, 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed Proclamation 5847 to declare August 21 as National Senior Citizens Day.  He stated in his address,

"For all they have achieved throughout life and for all they continue to accomplish, we owe older citizens our thanks and a heartfelt salute. We can best demonstrate our gratitude and esteem by making sure that our communities are good places in which to mature and grow older."

We support this statement.  Please go out and celebrate our elderly people everyday.  Do anything, no matter how large or how small to support a cause for senior citizens.  Most of all, encourage children to do the same.

Share the Love!

   If you're new to Tuesday's With Tom (TWT) then you might not know that Community Care Options is a big supporter of the Alzheimer's Association.  The rest of you are well aware.  So it should be no surprise that I am about to ask you ALL to do one simple little thing to make a difference in Alzheimer's research.  Follow the link to the Subaru Sharethe Love Event on Facebook.

 

It's simple, there is nothing to "Like", no information to share, and you can do it daily.  Just click on the "Select me" button and then click "Vote Now".  Subaru will then split a donation of $5 million between the top 5 charities.  Once you've voted, share it with your social media friends.  Thanks.

Good Neighbor Guide + Licensing Updates

This week I have two items to share with you.  We are about to start a live course on Business & Hospitality.  These two things go hand in hand, but more so for the residential care business.  In preparing for this course I came across a nice little guide that can be very useful in helping your facility become hospitable in the neighborhood.  Please view these "good neighbor" guidelines HERE.
It's also important for you to know that there is a new Licensing Update for Spring 2012.  These updates were released a few weeks ago and can always be downloaded from our website.

 

Highlights of this update include the following. 

• RESOURCES ON THE CCLD WEBSITE
• PROPOSED EVICTION REGULATIONS
• TWITTER AND FOOD SAFETY ALERTS
• PRIVATELY PAID PERSONAL ASSISTANTS
• ADVERTISEMENT AND FACILITY LICENSE NUMBERS
• WAIVERS AND EXCEPTIONS
• REORGANIZATION
• STAFF CHANGES 

Click the link below download and print your update.  

Adult & Senior Care Update - Spring 2012

Aerosol Tranmissable Diseases Standard (ATD's)

During the presentation at RENO 2012 by Michael Schedler of Morris & Garritano on Cal/OSHA compliance the question was raised regarding ATD's.  This is a relatively new standard set forth by Cal/OSHA and two different owners of RCFEs who were in attendance shared briefly that they were fined for not having a plan to prevent ATD's.  As I promised I am sharing a paper with regard of the application of this standard.  Please download a copy from the link below.

Cal/OSHA Guidance for the 2010-2011 Influenza Season regarding the Application of the Aerosol Transmissable Diseases Standard (Issue Date: 11/15/2010) 

CCLD Adult & Senior Care Reorganizatiion

Community Care Licensing Division just posted an announcement on their website about their plans to reorganization the ASCP assignments to CCL staff.  Click here to view the map.  Here is a copy of the statement:

"The Adult and Senior Care Program (ASCP) is reorganizing to maximize its ability to meet its mandates and protect health and safety. The reorganization will generalize facility category assignments so that all ASCP employees will work with both the adult and senior care facility categories. The reorganization will also realign the current Adult and Senior care regional lines to combine them and more equitably distribute workload. These changes will improve efficiency, reduce costs, and increase flexibility.  

 

These improvements will provide greater assurance of health and safety to vulnerable persons residing in or receiving services at adult and senior community care facilities. Implementation is planned for early 2012. Please check back periodically for updates."

New SSI/SSP Rates

Many of you have asked us about the new SSI rates.  Since there seems to be such a big interest we've posted this information on our website so you can refer to it as often as you need it.  Take note of the paragraph at the bottom of the webpage that details when you can charge an additional $20 to recipients who have additional income.

Also, be sure your admission agreement reflects the regulations in Title 22, 87507(c)(4)(A).

The link is here.

http://www.communitycareoptions.com/ssi_ssp_rates.html