MRSA IN ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES

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Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureaus
TRANSMISSION
Transmitted person-to-person via the hands of health care workers in contact with colonized or infected residents and inadequate hand hygiene between caring for different residents.

COLONIZATION
The presence, growth and multiplication of organism in one or more body sites without observable clinical symptoms. Mostly on skin, open wound or pressure ulcer, sputum and urine. Most common site in both health care workers and residents is the nares (nostrils).

TREATMENT
Vancomycin, an antibiotic, is the drug of choice.

PREVENTION OF MRSA IN ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES
Residents take part in group activities and therapies that make isolation impractical. For this reason, assisted living communities are treated like community or congregate settings and are considered exempt from hospital isolation guidelines.

Because treatment options for MRSA infections are limited, prevention of infection is key.

For more information on Recommended Protocol and Best Practices for ALF, please contact: Brenda G. Pabellano, BSN, RN, CLNC
PacificLegalNurse@gmail.com

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Dehydration and Heat Stroke in Elderly Population

by Posted in Long Term Care Issues

Summer in FLORIDA can have sustained temperature in the high 80’s and 90’s. Extreme summer temperature can have devastating effects on seniors.

According to the National Weather Service, heat is the number one weather-related cause of death.

As a result of the natural aging process, older adults especially the elderly are heat sensitive and more prone to heat stroke and dehydration. As we get older, our body has more difficulty adjusting to fluctuations in temperature.

Heat Stroke and Dehydration come together, as heat stroke often follows dehydration. On average, more than 1500 people in U.S. die each year from excessive heat.

The Governor of Florida passed an Emergency Rule for all Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities to install automatic back up generators that will cool off the facility or part of it to below 80 degrees for a minimum period of 96 hours.

For more information about this new Emergency Rule or if you have cases related to this issue, please contact me.

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Welcome to Pacific Legal Nurse Consulting

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Pacific Legal Nurse Consulting was created to help lawyers win their cases in a most cost-effective and time-saving manner.  We educate lawyers on the medical aspects of the case so they can focus on the legal aspects.

Brenda G. Pabellano, RN, BSN, CLNC has over 35 years of clinical experience specializing in critical care nursing: surgical and medical intensive care units and post-anesthesia care unit and long-term care management specializing in assisted living facilities helping seniors live in a healthy and safe environment while maintaining their independence, hereby an expert in state rules and regulations in the long-term care field.

Licenses and Certifications:

•    Certified Assisted Living Facility Administrator
•    RN License in the State of Florida

Professional Organization Affiliations

•    AALNC-American Association for Legal Nurse Consultants