Senior Care Risk: Inadequate Staff Safety Measures

Susan Lucot, MSN, RN, MLT (ASCP), CPHRM

Much like workers in other high-risk industries — such as mining, construction, and transportation — staff working in senior care organizations need to incorporate safety measures while providing care, especially when working with residents who have behavioral health disorders and/or dementia. Yet, various commonplace practices can jeopardize safety, such as:

• Having unsecured long hair
• Wearing stethoscopes, lanyards that don’t break away, thick necklaces, or clothes with drawstrings near the neck
• Wearing hoop earrings and dangling earrings, nose rings, or other piercings
• Not having training in self-protection defense maneuvers

Although some of these examples may seem harmless, staff often are placed in vulnerable positions while working with residents. A particularly vulnerable area of the body is the neck. A resident can use anything to gain control of a staff member’s neck and head, including what is worn near or around their neck as well as unsecured long hair. Breaking free of someone who has a strong grip can be quite difficult without causing minor to severe injuries.

Staff also might be susceptible to potential assaults while caring for residents, requiring the need for training to protect and defend themselves. Training should focus on protecting both the staff member and the resident.

To guard staff members from injury and ensure the safety of vulnerable residents, senior care leaders and workers should consider the following strategies:

• Ensure that your organization’s dress code requires clean professional attire and slip-proof comfortable shoes.
• Be alert to the fact that residents can use any item to cause injury, even if it doesn’t seem dangerous.
• Refrain from wearing shirts and jackets that have drawstrings and/or hoods.
• Secure long hair so that residents cannot easily grab it.
• Wear stud earrings rather than hoops or dangling earrings to prevent residents from yanking or grabbing them.
• Keep stethoscopes in a pocket or another location instead of hanging them around the neck.
• Develop or purchase hands-on training programs that raise environmental awareness and teach avoidance strategies.
• Ensure that training programs include demonstrations of maneuvers and techniques aimed at preventing and disengaging from harmful situations. Staff members can apply these techniques to protect themselves and residents.

For additional insights on providing care for residents who have behavioral health disorders and/or dementia in senior care settings, click here.

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