Sensory impairments, such as loss of vision, hearing, taste, smell, or touch, are common among older adults, and significantly affect their quality of life. These impairments often go unnoticed or may be mistaken for cognitive decline, leading to missed opportunities for interventions, or worse, a decline in function. Residents with …
Vision and hearing loss, as well as diminished taste, touch, or smell, can significantly impact residents’ ability to communicate, navigate their environment, and engage in daily activities. By implementing individualized care plans, utilizing assistive devices, and fostering an inclusive atmosphere, certified nursing assistants can enhance residents’ quality of life and …
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) remain significant concerns in long-term care settings. They contribute to increased morbidity, extended hospital stays, higher healthcare costs, and reduced quality of life for residents. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 75% of UTIs in hospitalized patients …
Competent catheter care is crucial for preventing infections and ensuring resident safety. Facilities can use AAPACN’s Catheter Care Competency tool as a standardized guide to evaluate and verify that staff are properly trained and consistently applying best practices when providing care for residents with urinary catheters. This competency can also …
Pain management is an essential component of nursing care. Non-pharmacological pain management interventions can effectively complement or reduce the need for medication. This tool will review non-pharmacological interventions by type, providing mechanism of action and examples for use. It will also include a comprehensive audit component to track intervention utilization, …
Pain management is an essential piece of the care provided in long-term and post-acute care (LTPAC) settings. Many residents experience acute or chronic pain due to a variety of conditions, such as postsurgical recovery, arthritis, and neuropathy. Pain traditionally was managed with pharmacological interventions, including narcotics and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. …
An effective Infection Prevention and Control Program (IPCP) goes beyond compliance with policies and ideally reflects a cultural shift toward personal responsibility. The nurse leader has a key role in helping healthcare professionals recognize their part in preventing infections and understanding how their actions directly impact resident safety. The goal …
The Essential Guide to Infection Prevention and Control in-service education will equip staff with the knowledge and strategies to identify and reduce the risk of several types of infections including respiratory, foodborne, urinary tract, and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI). Staff will also be empowered to recognize early symptoms and …
In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, and Lauren Stenson, MSN, RN, CNDLTC, QCP, DNS-CT, curriculum development specialist for AAPACN, discuss the admission process and ways to ease the resident’s transition into long-term and post-acute care settings.
Podcast (ltc_don_chat): Play in new window | Download (Duration: 14:52 — 9.4MB) | Embed
Nurses play a key role in the early identification and treatment of sepsis, assessing the resident and reporting to the physician or nonphysician practitioner (NPP), as well as potentially managing residents with sepsis in-house in some cases. Nurse leaders can take the following steps to help nursing staff effectively assess …
