For Nursing Homes: The Importance of Screening Prospective Residents

The Importance of Screening Prospective Residents

Most care facilities have measures in place to prevent resident abuse by staff. But what happens when another resident causes the abuse?  Residents with behavioral issues can pose a serious risk of injury to other residents, staff and visitors. To assist facilities, Kendall Watkins, JD of the Davis Brown Law Firm, of Des Moines, Iowa offers the following advice.

All residents in long-term care facilities have protections provided by statute or regulation that limit a facility’s ability to discharge a resident relating to behavioral issues. Because of the limitations associated with discharge, as well as both regulatory hurdle and practical concerns in finding alternative placements, the best advice that can be provided is to carefully screen prospective residents relating to past behaviors, including the use of medications that may be indicative of behavioral issues.

While all facilities feel the pressure to maintain census, taking a resident with significant behavioral issues may result in significant costs to a facility in the long run; financially, in staff morale, as well as in damaged reputation and public relations issues. Beware of prospective residents who have had multiple placements or who a hospital discharge planner has described as already contacting numerous facilities.