Bethesda Keeping Seniors Safe in Their Homes

Behind closed doors, a senior may find it difficult to engage in activities that once seemed as natural as eating or breathing. Simple tasks like walking around his or her home or reaching things on shelves become more challenging as they age and, depending on the task, could become a health issue.

To mitigate potential risks, Bethesda has implemented two assessments to address residents’ safety and work toward keeping seniors safe in their homes: the Fall Risk Assessment and the Health & Wellness Assessment. Both are provided to residents at no cost.

“While these programs coincided with COVID-19, we did not start administering either of them because of the pandemic,” says Missy McAuley, Director of St. Andrews & Bethesda Home Health. “Both the Fall Risk Assessment and Health & Wellness Assessment will continue long after COVID is gone.”

The Fall Risk Assessment takes place in Bethesda’s Independent Living communities. When a new resident moves in, a complimentary assessment is scheduled. During the assessment, which typically lasts 15-30 minutes, Home Health team members can assess a resident’s balance and gait, and necessary adjustments can be made within the apartment to remove potential hazards and work toward keeping seniors safe in their homes.

“We monitor the resident as he or she walks around the apartment, gets in and out of the shower, reaches things in high cabinets, steps over thresholds, and more,” says Missy. “This helps us determine what level of additional care or services, if any, that resident will need.”

Beverly Fuller, a Village North Retirement Community resident, thinks the assessment should be required for everyone.

“We don’t always realize what could make us fall, so I think this assessment was extremely beneficial. The therapist asked some questions and then watched me walk around the apartment to make sure I did not stumble,” says Beverly. “The process was very simple. It only took about 10 minutes!”

Mid-year, Bethesda began conducting Health & Wellness Assessments to all residents within 30 days of moving into an independent living community as an initiative to keep seniors safe in their homes.

“We started this program to make sure each resident stays safe, acclimates well to their new home and truly enjoys their time spent with us,” says Michelle Glass, Corporate Vice President of Senior Living & In-Home Services. “It can be hard to get used to a new living situation and make new friends. Residents have really liked knowing what’s offered to them and that they have support from the staff working at their community.”

During a Health & Wellness Assessment, a Home Health team member observes a new resident in their home and spends time getting to know them. They perform physical and cognitive evaluations to see if a resident needs help with things like medication management or getting dressed and undressed.

“We wanted to offer an extra level of support to our residents and their families to make them feel as comfortable as possible when moving into one of our communities,” says Michelle. “The goal of the Health & Wellness Assessment is to check in and get a baseline on all new residents. Representatives from our Care Management, Private Duty and Home Health teams meet with each one of our residents to ensure we are keeping them safe and serving them to the best of our ability.”