Every resident in your care has unique needs and concerns. It is vital as an adult residential care home administrator or owner that you recognize and understand these needs before a new resident enters your care. It is also important that you conduct a level of care assessment yearly or when you see noticeable changes in a resident’s behaviors.

Here is everything you need to know about the level of care assessment, how to use it, and why it matters to your adult residential care home.

What is a level of care assessment?

A level of care assessment is a tool you can use to determine if residents’ care needs match the services you offer. Most care assessments include questions about medication, health care requirements, skin care needs, continence care, and activities of daily living like bathing and dressing. The best level of care assessments give you a 360-degree view of resident needs by also asking about fall and wandering risk.

How do I implement a level of care assessment?

If you don’t currently use a level of care assessment but want to implement one, there are four key steps to take.

• Find a level of care assessment tool.

PCALIC, LLC understands this is an important part of your responsibilities. And we offer all of our insureds a free and ready to download level of care assessment in the members only section of our website.

• Conduct an assessment on every resident in your care.

Once you pick the tool that matches your needs, notify your residents and their family or power of attorney of your new care requirement. Invite family members or the POA to join you and the resident for the assessment. Take the time to go over each question and explain how the level of care assessment benefits the resident’s continued care.

• Add the level of care assessment to your intake policy and procedures.

Include the level of care assessment as part of your new resident intake procedures. This is the most critical time to conduct an assessment because it shows any causes for concern that you need to make the family and resident aware of.

• Create a policy for follow-up assessments.

The last important step of implementing the level of care assessment is determining how often to conduct it. It’s best to conduct one on all new residents and then do a follow-up ninety days later and yearly afterward. But don’t put yourself in a box and only conduct assessments yearly. Resident’s care needs can change overnight so make it a policy to update when behaviors and physical conditions change.

What can I do with the information gathered on a level of care assessment?

The information you gather gives you exactly what you need to create a resident care plan. A resident care plan identifies what your adult residential care home can offer the resident daily. Have the resident and their family review the plan, ask questions, and agree to it by signing and dating it.

What happens if a resident needs more care than I can provide?

Since no two residents are the same and needs change without notice, there is a chance a resident requires more care than you can offer. The best thing you can do in these instances is be honest with the resident and their family. Explain your concerns and provide them with information for another facility or state department that can assist with their needs.

A level of care assessment is a valuable tool your adult residential care home can use to provide the best care to residents. Take a moment to download it from the PCALIC website or contact your account representative today.