ALF Understaffing?

[ShoelessJo]

I am a new nurse. I have been working in an ALF for the past four months. Experienced nurses; can you tell me how your experience has been in assisted living? I have anywhere between 38-42 residents at any given time. We only ever have Two CNAs and one LPN on the floor. When administering meds we only have a two hour window to administer all medications. Anything that falls outside of that window is considered a med error. Medications must be prepared in the presence of the resident that often wander around and have dementia. I have calculated that if I am to manage everything on time according to the book then I only have 2.4 minutes for each resident. Is this realistic? Or are we understaffed?

[Finestnurse, Lpn]

That is common in ALF. I have 50 residents, alot of hands on care, tons of meds and plenty of memory issues. Assisted living is a fancy name for a nrsg home I always say. Been at my facility almost 8 years amd what you are describing is typical AL staffing. When i worked night shift i had almost 100 bc you know everyone sleeps soundly through the night! Lol

[NotMyProblem MSN, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN]

Check the rules and regulations for Assisted Living Communities for your individual state. The minimum amount of staffing per number of residents is clearly spelled out there. This number is required to be adjusted based on the type of residents that are being housed at the facility. If there are any residents that are bedbound and/or unable to self-propel, those minimum staffing numbers must be adjusted/increased by the applicable facilities to accommodate those residents in the event of emergencies requiring evacuation.

Each state has its own rules regarding this. If, after reviewing these rules for your state, you find that your facility is indeed understaffed, you can make a complaint (anonymous, if needed) and a state surveyor will come out and investigate the staffing situation. The safety of the residents, staff, and visitors must take precedence over anything else.