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January 4, 2001
Illinois Council Develops Survival Guide
for Certified
Nurse Assistants
(Chicago) -- As a result of President Clinton's Nursing
Home Initiative, nursing facilities are being scrutinized
more intensely by surveyors than ever before. The survey
process is a difficult time for all members of the facility,
but it is particularly stressful for the front-line
staff who are providing direct care to the residents.
To help these staff members become better prepared and
feel less anxious during surveys, the Illinois Council
on Long Term Care has developed a booklet, "Regulations,
Survey Citations, and You: A Survival Guide for CNAs."
Regulations, Survey Citations, and You is an
entertaining but serious look at a variety of important
issues involved in the survey process. Through the use
of graphics, catchy phrases and pictures, the survey
process is explained in an easy-to-understand and non-threatening
way. Direct care staff members are able to read this
booklet and know what essential practices are expected
of them on a daily basis and during the survey process.
Among the helpful clinical and quality of life areas
reviewed in Regulations, Survey Citations, and You
are the following:
· Resident Rights
· Infection Control
· Safety
· Privacy
· Personal Care
· Dining
· Laundry
· Communication with
Residents, Families, and Surveyors
The Illinois Council developed this first-of-its-kind
booklet to assist nursing facilities in training staff
members on essential care practices in a quick and efficient
manner. Already, over 10,000 copies of the booklet have
been ordered by nursing facilities across Illinois.
"Constant observation and scrutiny from surveyors
for several days can be very unnerving," states
Susan Gardiner, BSN, RN, Director of Clinical Services
for the Illinois Council on Long Term Care. "This
constant observation may cause excellent staff to do
things they would never do under normal circumstances
and forget information they already know. Our booklet
is designed to help staff members feel more comfortable
during surveys, educating them about those areas that
will be the subject of surveyor examination."
Copies of Regulations, Survey Citations, and You,
available in packets of 50, are priced at $50 for Non-Council
member facilities and $25 for Council members. To order
these booklets, contact the Illinois Council at (773)
478-6613 or visit the Council's web site at www.nursinghome.org
and click on the "Publications" icon.
# # #
The Illinois Council on Long Term Care is a professional
association of more than 210 nursing facilities committed
to quality residential health care in Illinois through
a productive and responsible partnership between the
private and public sectors. The Council represents more
than 26,000 nursing home professionals serving more
than 38,000 residents.
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