Safe Care in the Age of COVID

Posted on August 12, 2020 by Julie Apold

As we have pivoted in the past several months to focus on COVID-19 and put practices in place to combat this virus, we are reminded of our Safe Care for Seniors pledge for respect, safety and dignity and the shared commitment we made together to prevent harm in the course of caregiving.

Safe Care for Seniors is not a separate program or singular initiative. It consists of practices that should be incorporated into everything we do. We hope that some of the practices you have learned through Safe Care have been helpful during this unprecedented time.

Now, more than ever, it is vitally important that we take a deeper look at what we have learned during these past months, understand what is working well, and build on successes such as the expanded use of technology to combat social isolation. At the same time, we must drill down and understand the root causes in areas we need to improve, such as hand hygiene, PPE use, visitor screening, and social distancing.

Safe Care in the Age of COVID

We are pivoting Safe Care for Seniors in the near-term with a focus on Safe Care in the Age of COVID. In the coming weeks and months, you will see expanded opportunities to leverage Safe Care tools and strategies such as root cause analysis, strong actions, Just Culture, and resident and family engagement, to do a deeper dive into COVID-related topics to address gaps and improve your COVID-related processes. Some of the initial focus issues are preventing drift in infection control practices and preventing falls due to functional decline.

Safe Care in the Age of COVID is for all LeadingAge MN members, whether you have taken the Safe Care for Seniors pledge, completed its 5-Step Action Plan, or are hearing about this program for the first time.

Watch for upcoming Safe Care in the Age of COVID opportunities for new resources, training, and peer-to-peer networking opportunities as we continue to strive to achieve our goal of eliminating preventable harm in the course of caregiving.

Calling All Safe Care for Seniors Champions

Soon, we will reconvene the Safe Care Champions! We are rolling out some fun activities and would love to hear your ideas on how to best champion a culture of Safe Care in your organization. Watch for an invitation to the first virtual gathering in September. If you have not yet designated a Safe Care Champion in your organization, complete this form.

Learn More about Safe Care for Seniors

To learn more about Safe Care for Seniors and how you can join our campaign to prevent harm in the course of caregiving, visit www.leadingagemn.org/safecare. Contact Julie Apold, Vice President of Quality and Performance Excellence, if you have questions or need additional information.