Henry Tarvainen - The Rekai Centres

NURSING
The Skin Care Team achieves near perfect success!
A year ago, the Skin Care Team announced that
Wellesley Central Place and the Rekai Centre had been
chosen as part of a 3 year pilot project ( involving 20
LTC Homes in Ontario) to implement a Pressure Ulcer
Awareness Program (PUAP). This was in response to a
study initiated by the Canadian Association of Wound Care
to determine the extent of pressure ulcers in Canada. The
study found that 1:4 persons in a health care setting had a
pressure ulcer. “This translates into untold suffering, care-
giver anguish, extra work for health care providers, and
millions of health care dollars spent on a mostly prevent-
able condition”(CAWC, 2004).
The Skin Care teams in both Homes took on this challenge
with a determination to get the RED out before ulcers could
develop. This has resulted in many positive changes in the
way that skin care is provided.
• The team now includes all disciplines who meet on a
regular basis to discuss skin care challenges and continually
improve on the program
• PSWs have an increased awareness that redness can
signal a start of a pressure ulcer, alerting the nurses to
revise the resident’s care plan to prevent further skin
trauma
• All residents on admission and on an ongoing basis are
screened for risk of pressure ulcers and care interventions
are put in place.
• Residents/families are being educated about pressure
ulcers and are being encouraged to play a part in the
resident’s skin care plan.
• Staff are more aware of the importance of changing or
assisting the resident’s to change position on a regular
basis to relieve pressure on different parts of the body
• The prevalence of acquired ulcers in both Homes is now
less than 1% - a remarkable accomplishment
• Future plans include strengthening partnerships with
acute care hospitals in the area to minimize the risk
of residents experiencing skin breakdown when transferred
for emergency care
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One of our PSW sums it up nicely:
“Normally the color Red is associated with happy things
like Christmas, Valentines Day, a good bottle of wine, and
roses to name a few. However in Long Term Care Red
means Stop, Lookout, Danger Ahead!!! Reddened skin
has become the focal point for caregivers, as this has been
identified as the single greatest indicator of something
going wrong in the life of the resident. Recently we have
learned through the Pressure Ulcer Awareness Program,
getting the RED out means more than turning a resident
every 2 hours. As important as that is, we need to look
at the resident holistically. Some of the questions we are
now asking ourselves when we monitor our resident’ skin
includes the following:
• Is the resident dry?
• Is the resident appropriately hydrated and getting
adequate nourishment?
• Is the resident toileted adequately?
• Is the resident wearing appropriate and proper fitting
clothing and shoes?
• Is the resident agitated or in pain
Suddenly we realize that these are the same questions
that we would want asked on our behalf if we were in the
resident’s situation.”
So From Now on We Are Getting the Lead Out To
Get the RED Out
Lester Braithwaite PSW – 4W-WCP