I would suggest that you talk to the people who live in the facility. Elderly people love to talk and complaining is something may tend to enjoy. Ask them questions about their care that they are willing to share. In a good facility the complaints will be minor.
"They forgot that I don't like tea and brought me tea anyway."
"The bathroom is too cold!"
"I had to sit out in the hall for 5 minutes while I waited for someone to roll me into the dining room."
"The activity for this afternoon changed to bridge, I hate bride!"
If you consistently hear minor complaints, it is probably an excellent facility. No institution runs perfectly smooth and there will be minor problems on a daily basis. It's hard to keep 1-2 elderlies completely happy, imagine caring for 40 of them and them not having minor complaints and issues.
Not that minor complaints and issues are not important. But I can assure you that if everyone is complaining because their laundry was hung up wrong, it is because they don't have major problems to complain about.
Red flag complaints: Help not coming when the call bell is rung. Continent residents put in diapers because the staff is unwilling take the time to help them to help them to the bathroom. Pt unable to get ordered pain medication quickly if needed. People who need a little encouragement to eat being left alone at meal times and ignored.
These complaints are all signs that a facility is badly understaffed and they aren't meeting the residents needs very well. Check the staffing ratios if nothing else.
The exception is the confused resident. If you hear something repeated that seems outlandish, dig a little deeper, it is likely that you have met someone with forgetfulness and confusion. Ask them who the president is before you go looking around for the crazy nurse who put wet sheets on Mrs. Soandso's bed.
I would be most alarmed by a facility that had residents that never complained.
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I would suggest that you talk to the people who live in the facility. Elderly people love to talk and complaining is something may tend to enjoy. Ask them questions about their care that they are willing to share. In a good facility the complaints will be minor.
"They forgot that I don't like tea and brought me tea anyway."
"The bathroom is too cold!"
"I had to sit out in the hall for 5 minutes while I waited for someone to roll me into the dining room."
"The activity for this afternoon changed to bridge, I hate bride!"
If you consistently hear minor complaints, it is probably an excellent facility. No institution runs perfectly smooth and there will be minor problems on a daily basis. It's hard to keep 1-2 elderlies completely happy, imagine caring for 40 of them and them not having minor complaints and issues.
Not that minor complaints and issues are not important. But I can assure you that if everyone is complaining because their laundry was hung up wrong, it is because they don't have major problems to complain about.
Red flag complaints: Help not coming when the call bell is rung. Continent residents put in diapers because the staff is unwilling take the time to help them to help them to the bathroom. Pt unable to get ordered pain medication quickly if needed. People who need a little encouragement to eat being left alone at meal times and ignored.
These complaints are all signs that a facility is badly understaffed and they aren't meeting the residents needs very well. Check the staffing ratios if nothing else.
The exception is the confused resident. If you hear something repeated that seems outlandish, dig a little deeper, it is likely that you have met someone with forgetfulness and confusion. Ask them who the president is before you go looking around for the crazy nurse who put wet sheets on Mrs. Soandso's bed.
I would be most alarmed by a facility that had residents that never complained.
August 19, 2009 - 11:21pmThis Comment
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