|
|
Article: The safety program sunset for sundowning: this facility's staff came up with plans to attack the most hazardous part of many residents' day. (2002 Optima Award Winner).(some elderly show increased activity around sundown)
- Article from:
- Nursing Homes
- Article date:
- September 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Vendome Group LLC. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
If you were to ask any professional about the phenomenon of geriatric sundowning--a burst of energy some residents experience at sundown--most could define and describe it without hesitation. It occurs in every nursing home across the country and can create serious resident-care challenges for staff.
Some of the consequences of this burst of energy are risks of wandering, falls and aggressive outbursts, all of which could cause serious injury. Our ongoing safety analysis revealed that a high number of such incidents involving our cognitively impaired residents occurred between 6:30 and 8:00 p.m. As a result of this data analysis, our continuous quality ...