Bringing new residents into your assisted living facility can be a daunting task for administrators.  Being sure that you are gathering all the information up front about your potential residents, can be the key to determining if you are able to offer them the level of care they need in their daily living. A few steps you can take as a facility to properly prepare for new residents include:

1.    Conduct a wandering risk assessment.(A sample assessment can be found at www.pcalic.com)
2.    Conduct/review doctor notes for fall risk. (A sample assessment can be found at www.pcalic.com)
3.    Make necessary changes to the bedroom to help reduce fall risk or injury risk if the resident is prone to wander.
4.    Make necessary changes to the living areas to help reduce risk of falls or injury from wandering.
5.    Confirm meal plans match the dietary needs of the resident. ( i.e. diabetic, gluten intolerance)
6.    Review the admission agreement with the resident and family to make sure they understand the expectations and services provided by your facility.
7.    Have the family list any concerns about the resident prior to admitting them so you are all on the same page and share the same expectations in regards to care of the resident.
8.    Document everything! Documentation is really the backbone of any incident that could potentially go to mediation or trial.  When a resident is new to your home, you know the least about them so it is important to make sure every change or incident is documented in their file to help you learn and to help in discussions with families.

By following these steps initially, you will have a more complete understanding of new residents and will have set expectations for the family to feel at ease.