Resident Care and Services Flashcards

A new resident with mild cognitive impairment is admitted to an assisted living facility. According to best practices for resident care, what is the most critical first step the administrator must ensure is completed?

Answer: Developing a comprehensive, individualized service plan based on a thorough assessment.

The foundation of quality resident care in an assisted living facility is the development of an individualized service plan. This plan should be based on a pre-admission assessment that evaluates the resident's physical, cognitive, and psychosocial needs. This ensures that the care provided is tailored to the individual's specific requirements and preferences, promoting their well-being and independence. While room assignment, social activities, and future planning are important, they all follow the initial assessment and care planning process.

Which of the following is a primary responsibility of an ALF administrator regarding medication management?

Answer: Ensuring staff are properly trained and competent to assist with self-administration or administer medications as permitted by state regulations.

The administrator is responsible for the overall safety and compliance of the facility's medication management system. This includes ensuring that staff members who handle medications have received the appropriate training and have demonstrated competency, in accordance with state-specific regulations for assisted living facilities. Administrators do not prescribe medication, and while they must ensure safe administration, they don't personally administer all doses. Residents typically have the right to choose their own pharmacy.

A resident in your facility who is generally independent has had two falls in the past month. What is the most appropriate immediate action for the facility's staff to take?

Answer: Conduct a post-fall assessment to identify the cause and update the service plan.

When a resident's condition changes, such as experiencing falls, the standard of care requires the facility to assess the situation to determine the root cause. A post-fall assessment helps identify contributing factors (e.g., medication side effects, environmental hazards, change in medical condition) and allows the team to update the resident's service plan with new interventions to mitigate the risk of future falls. The other options are premature or overly restrictive without a proper assessment.

The term 'Activities of Daily Living' (ADLs) is fundamental in assessing resident needs. Which of the following lists contains only recognized ADLs?

Answer: Dressing, eating, transferring, bathing, and toileting.

The core Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) are basic self-care tasks. The widely accepted list includes bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring (moving from one position to another), continence, and eating/feeding. Tasks like managing finances, cooking, and shopping are generally considered Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs), which are important for living independently but are not the core self-care tasks.

A resident expresses a desire to refuse their prescribed medication. According to residents' rights in an assisted living facility, what is the correct approach?

Answer: Respect the resident's right to refuse, document the refusal, and notify the prescribing physician and the resident's responsible party.

Residents in assisted living facilities have the right to make decisions about their own care, which includes the right to refuse treatment and medication. The facility's responsibility is to ensure the resident is informed of the potential consequences of their decision, to respect their choice, to document the refusal thoroughly in the resident's record, and to communicate this information to the prescribing physician and any designated responsible party or family member.

When creating a service plan for a resident with dementia, which of the following is a key requirement for the activities program?

Answer: Providing individualized and structured activities that are tailored to the resident's abilities and preferences.

Effective dementia care involves creating a structured yet flexible activities program that is individualized to each resident. The plan should consider the resident's past interests, current cognitive and physical abilities, and offer a variety of activities including social, cognitive, and physical elements. Forcing participation can cause distress, and a one-size-fits-all approach is not effective for individuals with dementia. Activities should be offered throughout the day to accommodate different energy levels and routines.