What is Required to Become an Assisted Living Administrator?
There are several different pathways to becoming a qualified assisted living administrator in Washington state. The regulations, though offered in a step-wise fashion based on...Read More
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Assisted Living
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Become Familiar with and Prepared for a DOSH Inspection
Washington State Labor and Industries’ Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) has instituted a Local Emphasis Program (LEP) for enforcement that targets industrial hygiene...Read More
Coordination of Health Care Services
Assisted living residents will likely have outside health care service providers such as home health or hospice at some point during their stay in the...Read More
Cannabis in Assisted Living
Washington state was an early legalizer of both medical and recreational marijuana. The legalization of cannabis in the state prompted long term care providers to...Read More
Nonavailability of Medications in Assisted Living
There are times when assisted living wellness staff experiences difficulties in obtaining residents’ necessary medications; there are various reasons for these difficulties and methods to address them.Read More
What is an Oversight Nurse, and Do You Need One in Your Assisted Living?
October 2023 | While the term “oversight nurse” is not defined in statute or rule, many assisted livings employ or contract with a registered nurse (RN) to serve in this capacity. This article aims to clarify what the role of the “oversight RN” entails, to ensure intermittent nursing services are provided with the proper level of nursing care.Read More
Intermittent Nursing Services
Nurses are a relatively new addition to assisted living in Washington. In the early 2000s, it was rare to see a nurse working full-time in an...Read More
Medication Assistance Via Accurately Directing Others
Residents must be assessed for the level of staff assistance they need with medications. Some residents (and in many instances some medications) warrant different levels of...Read More
Caregiver Training and Certification Timelines after the Pandemic’s End
The Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) training unit and the Department of Health (DOH) worked diligently with stakeholders, including WHCA, throughout the pandemic...Read More
Resident Dementia Screening in Assisted Living
While all assisted living residents receive preadmission and ongoing assessments, those with symptoms of dementia require the facility staff to do some additional data collection. This...Read More
Who Can Conduct Resident Assessments in Assisted Living?
This article was originally sent via an emailed Survey and Regulatory newsletter in March 2022. While still accurate, new updates have come from DSHS because...Read More
Medication Errors in Assisted Living
With the high average number of daily medications taken by residents in assisted living, medication error rates can be relatively high. Combine the high number of...Read More
Medication Administration and Nurse Delegation in Assisted Living
WHAT IS MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION? Legally, medication administration, accomplished by either a licensed nurse or a qualified credentialed caregiver, is the only medication service level that...Read More