Writing on the Wall: Fall 2022

Reducing Risk Through Education
Wall Residences continues to exceed
expectations for quality care. One
way we do this is looking for opportunities
where training and education
can better equip Providers to handle
the most common incident types. Our
Registered Nurse Care Management
team is key to these efforts. In reviewing
incident reports, our Compliance
Coordinator discovered the highest
percentage of medical incidents
were falls, choking, urinary tract
infections, and seizures. The
Compliance Coordinator, Operating
Officers, and Lead RN
Care Manager collaborated on
a method to improve health and
safety outcomes through greater
understanding by Providers on
prevention methods. Due to the potential
fatality, choking was chosen to
be addressed first.
Wall Residences RN Care Managers
uphold the recommendations given by
the Office of Integrated Health (OIH)
at the Department of Behavioral
Health and Developmental Services
(DBHDS). The protocols used in our
services are based on those recommendations
as well as the training of
the Direct Support Providers.
For this project, the Lead RN Care
Manager contacted the Office of
Integrated Health for their Choking
Prevention Health and Safety Alert
and test, then developed a presentation
for the RN Care Managers to
provide in the Wall Residences Provider
Meetings statewide. Throughout
June and July, the RN Care Managers
who support each region attended
“
The educational presentation identified
many risk factors for choking that staff
and providers reported not knowing
before the training.
Provider Meetings and offered consistent
training. Our goal was to improve
awareness and skills of the Providers
and Program Management staff who
assure safety in the homes. The educational
presentation indentified many
risk factors for choking that staff
and providers reported not knowing
before the training. This supported the
need for advanced training but also
led to more deeply investigating how
to prevent choking in Wall Residences
services.
The next step was comparing the
training information to the Support
Intensity Scale (SIS) assessment
and the Support Coordinator’s Risk
Assessment Tool used in developing
plans of care. It was determined
these tools did not address the risks
as determined by OIH, and were
often incomplete, therefore would not
adequately identify potential risks for
choking in individuals. The Lead
RNCM also noticed risks were
inconsistently identified in some
plans for support. This showed an
opportunity for a new tool to be
developed.
An Aspiration/Choking Risk
Assessment tool was developed
from the OIH materials, consistent in
structure with the Fall Risk Assessment
already in use by Wall Residences.
The RNCM team reviewed
and edited the document, which is
now with the Quality Assurance team
for initial review and determination of
next steps.
Together, through education and plan
development, we can prevent some
future health emergencies!
~Kevyn Burn
Know Someone Who Could Benefit from Our Services?
The Wall Residences Admissions team has staff in all parts of the state to respond to your referral needs and
answer questions about the services we offer. We work quickly to find the right match for longterm success
while striving for the quickest placement in services possible. The Admissions Team is here to serve you.
Alex Jackson
Admissions
Director
(434) 610-7578
Emily Eagle
Central Virginia, Danville,
Charlottesville, Staunton/
Waynesboro/Lexington
(434) 907-5067
Ashea Green
Northern
Region
(202) 760-6411
Brooke Keen
Roanoke, NRV,
SWVA
(540) 541-8563
Lisa Schalasny
Eastern
Region
(804) 380-4309