All medical facilities are at risk for lawsuits. Assisted living facilities, in particular, have a very high risk due to the nature of the services performed. From residents fleeing to abuse to sips and falls to medical waste the risk is ever-present.  This is because you have people living in the facility and they are able to move about the facility. Assisted living facilities should take risk management actions starting with properly training staff in the care of the residents.

Top Risks in Assisted Living Facilities

The tops risks for assisted living facilities are wrongful death, transportation accidents, wound issues. Other prevalent issues include sexual and physical abuse, residents wandering away, failure of staff to supervise, and the improper administration of medication.

The good news is these risks can be minimized. With ongoing proper training, assisted living facility administrators are able to significantly reduce the risk of being sued by a resident and/or family member. Therein, avoiding fines levied by state and federal governments for improper disposal of medical waste.

Common Medical Waste Problems

Medical waste disposal is our area of expertise.  We find, unless people have undergone training, they are likely going to dispose of medical waste in an improper manner. With the right team-training and a knowledgeable medical waste disposal partner, it is easy to reduce the risks associated with medical waste. Medical waste is divided into several different categories and must be disposed of in that category’s proper manner.

  • Sharps include needles, IVs, broken glass or anything that can cut you. These items are disposed of in a special sharps container that is labeled appropriately. Sharps cannot be disposed of with the regular trash. Sharps must be stored and transported in plastic bins that do not puncture.
  • Chemotherapy and radiation waste is disposed of in a separate container. This type of medical waste also gets “special” treatment. In addition to blood that could be tainted, some chemotherapy and radiation medications could cause burns on the skin or severe damage or death if ingested.
  • Many facilities have special sewers for waste because of the high chances of contaminated body fluids and fecal matter that is disposed of. Drains lead into a separate sewer and that waste is then treated before it is disposed of.
  • Lawsuits are a significant risk to assisted living facilities but can be avoided. Lawsuits often originate from a lack of communication during transfers between facilities; i.e. hosptial to ALF or nursing home or from not documenting discussions with staff/physicians and residents/families.

Handling Risks Present in Assisted Living Facilities

Minimize risks in your facility by training your staff in safety procedures.

  • Minimize slips and fall by keeping floors properly maintained. Do not use loose rugs. Keep lighting in good condition so that residents and employees are able to see. Be sure to put up plenty of warning signs in areas where the floor is wet and clean up spills immediately. Make sure halls are clear of clutter and handrails are installed.
  • Screen all employees before you hire them, even if it’s a cook, janitor or other staff members who would not regularly interact with residents. When it’s possible, have staff members work together. This not only protects the resident against someone that passes the hiring requirement from abusing resident, but it also allows for a witness should a resident make false accusations.
  • Screen residents carefully to learn if they have a tendency to wander. Have good security measures in places such as video surveillance, secured exits and security guards. A properly staffed facility helps to prevent wanderers, plus ensures that there is plenty of staff to handles major emergencies including natural disasters.
  • Medical waste and other procedural issues could also lead to a lawsuit. Be sure to document all doctors’ orders, conversations between staff and residents and/or family members, and discussions with doctors. Medical waste needs to be disposed of in the proper bins and should be under lock and key. Furthermore, when individual bins are emptied, the contents should be stored in locked bins to wait for transport so that residents do not have access to the bins and infect themselves with dangerous pathogens.
  • Wrongful death could be because of the negligence of the facility or even because of the way the staff handles natural disasters.

With proper training in risk mitigation, assisted living facilities could avoid many lawsuits filed by residents and/or their families and fines levied due to mishandling of medical waste. Explore our medical waste disposal compliance guide or our OSHA compliance resource page to learn more.