Assisted living can be tricky. It is a fantastic model for providing a safe, caring, and social lifestyle for seniors. Where it gets a little tricky however are the rules, defined and governed by each individual state jurisdiction, as to how much and how far the "medical care" can extend to each resident by a staff member.
It is a sliding scale, a spectrum. On one end, there is the medical model. On the other, the social model.
In the medical model, nurses on staff can provide more medical care by degree to their residents than the nurses on staff in the social model. It's not clear-cut either, certainly nothing that can be summarized in a short article, that's why it is best described as a spectrum upon which each state falls.
That said, there are some basic medical supplies that virtually every residence can consider having on hand for the best interest of their residents. In some cases, perhaps the "residence" doesn't keep the medical supply in stock. Instead, it may be better for the rules if the individual resident buys, keeps, and uses certain medical supplies. In this case, you can think of them as "home medical supplies", and they happened to be used by a person whose home is in an assisted living residence in this case.
Each state, and each residence director, will have to make those judgements. What I provide here, are suggestions for categories of medical supplies that ultimately enhance the health of a senior in assisted living.
1. 12 Types of Wheelchairs
A common medical supply an assisted living staff, and physical residence, would accommodate often would be the wheelchair.
It's important to recognize that not all wheelchairs are the same. They come in different sizes, with different features, with different available accessories.
If you're a food service director or residence director, how will your dining area accommodate wheelchairs? Is there enough maneuverable space between the tables? And when a wheelchair pulls up to a dining table, is the table shaped in such a way that your resident can pull up close enough to the dining surface, or does the tables height and shape impede the arms of the wheelchair? What about the base of the dining tables? Are the bases or legs to cumbersome for the wheelchair to get close to the table? What if there are multiple residents in wheelchairs that want to sit at the same table? More »
2. Skin Care Products for Pressure Ulcer Prevention
Pressure ulcers are commonly known as "bed sores" because they typically arise in patients confined to a hospital bed.
However, pressure ulcers can happen outside the hospital room.
Think of all your residents that spend all or most of their days confined to a wheelchair. Are you sure they are caring for the skin that they sit on? Even in a wheelchair, a seemingly healthy resident may have a bone that is applying pressure on the skin upon which they sit. The combination of the weight, the pressure, the bone protruding even slightly, these all create a "perfect storm" for a pressure ulcer to develop.
A resident may not have the mobility left to reposition themselves to allow air to the section of skin in question. If the skin doesn't breathe, it further increases the chance that a pressure ulcer will develop and fester.
Fortunately there are many topical products available that can help care for the skin. Gels, creams, and powders applied at the right time, and regularly, can help keep the skin clean, breathing, and strong. More »
3. 6 Supplies to Aid Daily Living
There are medical supplies to help the challenges of daily living. Typically designed for people with reduced mobility, these products help people perform the daily tasks that most people take for granted.
For example reaching efforts such as raising one's arm to reach a glass or plate from the cupboard, getting dressed, pulling up one's socks or tying one's shoes, can all be aided with the help of various reaching and grabbing supplies.
The same goes for arthritic hands that have grown to find clutching a fork, knife, spoon, or drinking glass prohibitive. There are modified cutlery and place settings that can make this experience much easier now. More »