Nursing Home Residents Get A Lift

Residents at Sea View Hospital Rehabilitation Center and Home no longer have to worry about the risk of falling in their haste to get to the bathroom. New patient safety measures along with five latest model chair lifts have cut patient falls in half, reduced incontinence by two-thirds and made it easier for staff to give residents personal care.

Sea View conducted an analysis of the rate and causes of falls -- one of the most common causes of injuries in nursing homes -- and found that falls often occurred among patients with high rates of incontinence who required more frequent trips to the bathroom and were trying to make it on their own.

“We immediately determined that many of these falls could be avoided by treating the patient’s incontinence and doing whatever we could to make it easier for them to reach the bathroom on a predictable schedule,” said Nancy Endozo, Associate Director of Nursing.

The team at Sea View developed a new process for treating patient incontinence that includes revised and expanded daily toileting schedules to follow patients' needs more closely. They designed new tracking forms to better monitor cases and chart the residents’ progress and purchased five brand new Standing and Raising Aids, or automated chair lifts, that help move patients with more ease and frequency and reduces common back strain among staff.

“We not only reduced falls but are now better able to understand the different types and causes of incontinence. This is helping us offer more effective treatment and provide individualized patient-centered care,” said Maria McGuire, Director of Care Management.

Sea View’s success was recognized as the year's best patient safety innovation in long term care at HHC's first annual Patient Safety Fair. Patient safety is a top priority for the city’s public hospitals and clinics. The innovative program at Sea View is one of dozens of creative strategies HHC facilities are adopting to improve patient care and safety every day.