THE LOWDOWN
Summer 2022

An Educational Resource for Long-Term Care

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​​Welcome to the summer edition of The Lowdown! The pandemic stressed people in several ways and brought to light the importance of communication and healthy interaction. This edition is dedicated to safety and provides resources to help promote a safe, positive environment for you and your residents. Happy reading!

​The Fine Art of Communication

Communication is complex for everyone and can be especially challenging for the elderly. The normal aging process, which can include memory decline, hearing loss, decreased vision, and slower processing of information, makes communicating with others more difficult. However, effective interaction is essential to providing good care.1,2

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, it is important to connect with the resident physically and emotionally to communicate effectively. To improve a resident’s ability to understand information and prevent negative outcomes:1–3
  • ​Greet the resident and sit face to face.
  • Make direct eye contact and use relaxed body language.
  • Talk slowly, clearly, and loudly using plain language.
  • Keep number of points to three or fewer to focus on what the person needs to know and do.
  • Communicate as if talking to a friend to show genuine interest.
  • Avoid distractions (such as a cellphone).
For more information, including a summarized list of communication tips, visit:
 

Health Literacy

Health literacy is the ability to understand healthcare information to make informed decisions. This includes listening, speaking, reading, writing, math skills, and reasoning. Presenting information in a way that the resident can understand may improve their outcomes. The Patient Safety Authority (PSA) identified health literacy as a contributing factor in some patient safety events.3

Bullying in Healthcare

Bullying or aggressive behaviors between healthcare providers, such as verbal abuse and intimidation, can be a threat to safe resident care. Bullying behaviors can inhibit teamwork, obstruct communication, and delay implementation of new practices. This type of behavior can interfere with patient care and may contribute to low worker morale, absenteeism, and high rates of staff turnover.4

Educational Tools
This reprinted assessment includes questions healthcare staff can use to gain self-awareness about behaviors that could be considered as bullying.
This reprinted assessment includes questions healthcare staff can use to recognize whether they have experienced or witnessed bullying behaviors.
This reprinted document includes sample scripts healthcare staff can use to respond to disruptive coworkers.
Healthcare staff can keep this card-size de-escalation tool with their name badges.
Healthcare facilities can adapt this sample policy, reprinted from a Pennsylvania facility, to communicate a facility-specific anti-bullying policy.
Healthcare facilities can adapt this sample policy, reprinted from a Pennsylvania facility, to communicate a facility-specific, respectful workplace policy.

For more information, visit patientsafety.pa.gov.

​Take the Time, Break the Transmission

Long-term care residents are continually at risk for transmission of illness. When people live closely together, they are more likely to become sick with infections that are transmitted from person to person. Daily activities in a facility provide opportunity for transmission, such as dining together, group activities, shared equipment, or sharing rooms and bathrooms.5

Residents and healthcare workers can become sick or develop an infection when germs are spread from person to person. Transmission can occur by contact with contaminated hands or inanimate objects, such as equipment, or by droplet spread when a person coughs, talks, or sneezes. Germs can also be spread through splashes or sprays. People are a source of germs, as we all carry bacteria on and in our bodies, but the environment is a good hiding place as well. Germs can be found in resident rooms on items such as beds, tables, faucets, and sinks. Medical equipment may also harbor germs.5

Healthcare workers can break the chain of transmission to help protect residents and themselves through two very basic things: hand hygiene and environmental cleaning. We can prevent infection and protect residents and healthcare workers by taking a few seconds to stop and do the basics.5,6

For more information, visit:
 
References
  1. Miller A. Tips on Effective Communication With the Elderly. Livestrong website. https://healthfully. com/149143-tips-on-effective-communication-with-the-elderly.html. Published June 13, 2017.
  2. Accessed June 21, 2022.
  3. Robinson T, White G, Houchins J. Improving Communication With Older Patients: Tips From the Literature. Fam Pract Manag. 2006;13(8):73-78. Available from: https://www.aafp.org/pubs/fpm/ issues/2006/0900/p73.html.
  4. Gardner L. Health Literacy and Patient Safety Events. Pa Patient Saf Advis. 2016;13(2):58-65. Avail- able from: http://patientsafety.pa.gov/ADVISORIES/Pages/201606_58.aspx.
  5. Wallace S, Gipson K. Bullying in Healthcare: A Disruptive Force Linked to Compromised Patient Safety. Pa Pat Saf Advis. 2017; 14(2):64-70. Available from: http://patientsafety.pa.gov/ADVISO- RIES/Pages/201706_64.aspx.
  6. Donskey C. Does Improving Surface Cleaning and Disinfection Reduce Health-Care Associated Infections? Am J Infect Control. 2013;41(5, Supplement):S12-S19. Available from: https://www. ajicjournal.org/article/S0196-6553(13)00055-2/pdf.
  7. World Health Organization. Your 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene. WHO website. https://cdn.who.int/ media/docs/default-source/integrated-health-services-(ihs)/infection-prevention-and-control/your- moments-for-hand-hygiene-poster.pdf. Published April 23, 2009. Accessed June 21, 2022.