Person- and Family-Centred Care Approach in Managing Falls in Long-Term Care

Recognizing the need to change practices and then developing a plan to implement that change can be a challenge. At Villa Colombo, the team has learned that despite all the good intentions, and rationale for changing processes, unless staff are involved and engaged, the desired outcomes may not be sustainable. In a 391-bed facility, to establish their unit threshold and decrease the resident number of falls became a challenge amongst the staff. 

During this webinar, the participant learned how healthy monthly competition and reward supported the facility in meeting and then exceeding established targets year over year. Recognizing the winning teams became a monthly ritual, involving the handover of the Champions trophy and staff recognition by providing each staff member, all shifts, all departments a Tim Horton’s card to say, “thank you.” 

The participant related with staff motivation, participation and accepting change as being critical in the success of any project. Keeping the staff engaged and showing them the outcomes, provides them a sense of gratification.
 
The participant learned that identifying the need, knowing the gap in practice will guide the action plan developed to close that gap. RNAO's best practice guidelines (BPG) help health care sectors recognize the possibilities of implementing evidenced based practice change. The plan for implementation started with completing a gap analysis, then led the team into discussion on how best to address these gaps.

Objectives:

• identify an area of quality concern and align interventions with applicable BPGs
• gain an understanding of the importance of a gap analysis
• develop and utilize champions to be the “change agents” to support the change
• measure success by establishing realistic goals and targets
• share strategies to recognize and celebrate successes
• develop a sustainability plan to ensure practices are not lost

Features:

• Presenters showcased a success story incorporating other programs to manage responsive behaviours contributing to falls.
• intersectorial approach of two BPGs impacting resident care strategies: person-and family-centred care and falls.
• a featured story by VCT in RNAO toolkit journals.

Presenters:

• Nikki Mann, RN, director, resident services
• Karim Kamani, physiotherapist