Assisted Living Compliance Services

12/02/2021

There appears to be much confusion and misinformation over the “new” CPR/FA requirements and the “Fall Prevention and Recovery Training” requirement which is actually “SENATE BILL 1373, which amended TITLE 36, CHAPTER 4, ARTICLE 1, ARIZONA REVISED STATUTES, ADDING SECTIONS 36-420 AND 36-420.01; RELATING TO HEALTH CARE INSTITUTIONS”.

First, for my clients, your existing FA/CPR policies and procedures should be acceptable. If for some reason they are not, AzDHS normally provides 12 months of technical assistance after the implementation of a new law and there should only be some minor tweaks, if any, that you can do yourself since you have all documents in MS Word. For everyone else, please contact the person you purchased your documents from and ask them if your CPR/FA policies and procedures will meet the new requirements.

Second, yet the most important point , the new law is not requiring assisted living homes to develop a new Fall Prevention and Fall Recovery Training Policy and Procedures protocol. But rather, the new law is requiring each assisted living home (actually all licensed healthcare facilities) to have their own Fall Prevention and Fall Recovery Training Program (the actual law is listed below A.R.S. § 36-420.01).

A.R.S. § 36-420.01. Health care institutions; Fall Prevention and Fall Recovery Training Programs;

A. EACH HEALTH CARE INSTITUTION SHALL DEVELOP AND ADMINISTER A TRAINING PROGRAM FOR ALL STAFF REGARDING FALL PREVENTION AND FALL RECOVERY. THE TRAINING PROGRAM SHALL INCLUDE INITIAL TRAINING AND CONTINUED COMPETENCY TRAINING IN FALL PREVENTION AND FALL RECOVERY.
HEALTH CARE INSTITUTION MAY USE INFORMATION AND TRAINING MATERIALS FROM THE DEPARTMENT'S ARIZONA FALLS PREVENTION COALITION IN DEVELOPING THE TRAINING PROGRAM.

Should anyone be interested in purchasing the program, the cost is $75.00 for existing clients and $125.00 for non-clients. Please text me with your name and the name of your home; I will send you a purchase agreement and invoice. After receiving the signed agreement and payment, you will be sent the Fall Prevention and Recovery Training Program. The current time to complete the process and receive the Program is 2-3 weeks and could be substantially longer depending on demand.

07/26/2020

A question on one of the social media networks was asked, “Can a two-story home become a licensed assisted living home?”. The answer is yes, per the Arizona Department of Health Service rules.

Do local zoning rules and local fire departments allow a 2-story home to become an assisted living home? That is a question for the local zoning jurisdiction and fire marshal.

Can you have assisted living residents on the second floor? 99.9% of the time, the answer is no. Why? Because of 3 reasons.

The most prevalent reason being that the home must have at least two unobstructed, usable exits to the outside from the sleeping area that the resident is capable of using. Since virtually all homes are designed with one set of stairs connecting the upstairs and downstairs AND having residents exit windows on the 2nd floor is not an option, homes do not meet the physical requirements to allow residents to reside on the second floor.

The second reason is that a resident cannot be at the directed level of care. The highest level of care allowed on the second floor of an assisted living home is the personal level of care.

The third reason is that a resident must be able to ambulate without assistance.

At Assisted Living Compliance Services, we provide rule-based information not rumor based information.

05/14/2020

A question recently came up at the Arizona Assisted Living Home Association (AALHA) Board meeting. Is reporting of COVID-19 residents mandatory in assisted living homes? The answer is YES.
While most assisted living providers are familiar with Article 8 and Article 1 of the Arizona Administrative Code (A.A.C.) which cover assisted living facilities (homes and centers) and all health care facilities respectively, most assisted living providers are not aware of the remaining areas of the A.A.C..
As indicated on the Maricopa County Website (Maricopa County, Public Health, Disease Reporting) “Reporting of suspected or confirmed communicable disease is mandated under the Arizona Administrative Codes…"
To read the entire article, if the following link is not live on this post, then please cut and paste the link in your browser:

A question recently came up at the Arizona Assisted Living Home Association (AALHA) Board meeting. Is reporting of COVID-19 residents mandatory in assisted living homes? The answer is YES.

05/07/2020

AALHA has compiled a list of helpful resources for your homes ranging from personal protective equipment to extra curricular activities that will engage and encourage your residents during the COVID-19 crisis.
Medical Supplies & PPE:
1. InTouch Medical Supply - Comprehensive line of COVID-19 supplies;
2. MedSupply - Carries reusable, Arena Front Line Masks;
3. ProForma PPE - Has refocused entire team to source PPE and other medical supplies;l
4. Project Cure - Donating all of their masks, gloves, PPE’s to those on Coronavirus front lines,
(click above to apply);
5. Source Access Ltd. - Full selection of masks, gloves and COVID testing kits.
Please note the above links are NOT live. The live links can be found on the AALHA website resources page which is https://aalha.org/Resources.

CareCards - Handwritten letters, pictures and cards of encouragement written by school-aged kids in the community for your residents

04/16/2020

Misinformation has the potential to kill you and your residents.

A recent post called “DIY Disinfectant” could cost you and your residents their lives. Why? Because it contained the word “disinfectant” which in today’s environment means to most people, a disinfectant that will eliminate coronavirus “(SARS-CoV-2) that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)”.

Assisted Living Compliance Services cannot understate the importance of responsible & fact-based dissemination of information. There is no more important time than right now to ensure all emails, texts and posts contribute to the well-being of all Americans, especially our residents in assisted living who are at the highest risk to die from this pandemic.

The Post called for a DIY Disinfectant Solution of Vodka, Vinegar, and Essential Oils.

Fact: The CDC Website specifically states “Alcohol solutions with at least 70% alcohol may also be used” for disinfecting hard surfaces. The average alcohol content of vodka is 40%. While there are vodkas with higher alcohol content (mostly European), that is not what most vodkas in the United States contain.

Fact: The EPA Website containing List N: Disinfectants for Use Against SARS-CoV-2 DOES NOT list vinegar as a disinfectant.

Fact: The EPA Website containing List N: Disinfectants for Use Against SARS-CoV-2 DOES NOT list thyme essential oil as a disinfectant.

Fact: The EPA Website containing List N: Disinfectants for Use Against SARS-CoV-2 DOES NOT list tea tree oil as a disinfectant.

Fact: There are 6 “oils” listed on List N. None of which are essential oils.

Copy and Paste the following link in your broswer
https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2

04/03/2020

A question came up regarding a recent post. The question was: Is my COVID-19 Policy and Procedures different than the R9-10-121 Disease Prevention and Control Policy And Procedures required by the Health Department? The answer is no. It is the same policy. The policy is actually titled “R9-10-121 Disease Prevention and Control Policy And Procedures” and is available at assistedlivingcomplianceservices.com Thank you.

03/25/2020

The new Policy and Procedure is for the Corona Virus (COVID-19) and is now immediately available online.
Please go to: assistedlivingcomplianceservices.com

R9-10-121 is the new AzDHS rule requiring all healthcare facilities to have a Disease Prevention and Control Policy and Procedure in effect as of March 16, 2020. Assisted Living Compliance Services (ALCS) has discounted this new Policy and Procedure from a single policy charge of $77.00 to only $45.00 per facility. This is due to our continuing commitment to help all assisted living homes in Arizona in whatever manner available to us.

Please note: Due to the urgency created by the Emergency Rule Making, the new Policy and Procedures is not customized for each home’s needs. The document is in MS Word and it is the home’s responsibility to make adjustments as needed. It is also each home’s responsibility to ensure staff have been trained and follow the Policy and Procedures to protect the residents, themselves, their families, the resident families and all who enter the home.

Working together as a community committed to help our assisted living residents and each other, we will all get through these turbulent times. May God bless you and all for whom you care.

02/26/2020

URGENT! URGENT!! URGENT!!!
📷 Advocacy
Action Alert!

February 26, 2020
📷
Email ALL Representatives BEFORE 11am TODAY
We need your advocacy help before 11am today, February 26, 2020.
The House of Representatives will vote on HB2260. Please send an email asking them to vote NO on HB2260.
Click here for an email list of ALL House of Representatives members.
NO on HB2260
HB2260 will impose new regulations on ALL skilled nursing homes, assisted living homes, adult foster care homes, group homes, residential institutions and other similar health care institutions requiring particular staffing 24/7 at your home/center/facility including "certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation" and "certification in fall recovery" and prohibiting your organization or company from making certain policies. HB2260 will create a new "standard of liability" and all homes/centers/facilities would be subject to lawsuits for failing to explicitly carry out this duty.
We agree that homes/centers/facilities should have trained CPR staff per requirements already established in statutes/rules for SNF, AL and Behavioral Health. We also agree that caregivers should have training regarding falls and fall prevention, however we do not believe we need additional regulations. The unintended consequences of this bill will make it impossible for Assisted Living Homes and Centers to do business in Arizona.
Please email all Representatives asking them to vote NO on HB2260.
THANK YOU for your ADVOCACY!!!
Arizona LeadingAge
3877 N 7th Street, #280
Phoenix, AZ 85014
602-230-0026
602-230-0563
www.ArizonaLeadingAge.org
You are receiving this message because you opted in at https://arizonaleadingage.org

01/27/2020

Advocacy Alert- Additional Information on HB2260
There are three action items to take to stop this misguided proposed legislation which are listed below. Again many thanks to Pam Koester of Leading Age for her advocacy and her collaborative efforts with AALHA as well as fellow AALHA board members particularly Gaile Perry Dixon and Shawn Hern. The three action items are:
1. Email Representative Kern at [email protected] and express your concern over this legislation (HB2260).
2. Call Representative Kern at 602-926-3102 and express your opposition to this legislation.
3. Attend the stakeholder meeting in the basement of the Arizona House of Representatives at 10 AM on Friday, January 31, 2020 and voice your opposition to HB2260.

01/27/2020

ALERT: A law maker has proposed a new law that would have an extremely negative affect on the entire assisted living community - Homes and Centers alike. My heartfelt gratitude to Pam Koester of Leading Age and fellow AALHA board member, Gaile Dixon. Please read and take action. Also my apologies as the links in this post are not active.

📷Advocacy Action Alert! January 24, 2020
📷
Call/Email - Anthony Kern, Arizona Legislator
Dear Members and Community Partners,
Representative Anthony Kern from District 20 has filed a bill HB2260 that will impose new regulations on ALL skilled nursing homes, assisted living homes, adult foster care homes, group homes, residential institutions and other similar health care institutions requiring particular staffing 24/7 at your home/center/facility including "certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation" and "certification in fall recovery" and prohibiting your organization or company from making certain policies. HB2260 will create a "standard for liability" and all homes/centers/facilities would be subject to lawsuits for failing to explicitly carry out this duty.
We agree that homes/centers/facilities shall have trained CPR staff per requirements already established in statutes/rules for SNF, AL and Behavioral Health. We do not believe we need an additional statute.
PLEASE call or email Representative Kern and tell him to STOP HB2260 as it will have a big impact on your business.
Click here to read HB2260.
Click here to HELP!!
A BIG THANK YOU to Gaile Dixon, Policy Chair, Arizona Assisted Living Homes Association for their advocacy letter re: HB2260. Click here to read.
Thank you!!!
For questions or information:
Arizona LeadingAge 3877 N 7th Street, #280 Phoenix, AZ 85014 602-230-0026 602-230-0563 www.ArizonaLeadingAge.org

11/12/2019

Assisted Living Home in Scottsdale is for sale. Licensed for 10 beds with 9 residents. I do not have any details. The contact person is Annette 602.628.6011. Thank you.

10/08/2019

The Residential Assisted Living National Association held their national conference (RAL NAT CON) at the Arizona Grand Resort & Spa here in Phoenix. It was an incredible event. Assisted Living Compliance Services (ALCS), despite offering products and services exclusively in Arizona, generated an almost inconceivable amount of interest. Due to the overwhelming requests for our services, ALCS is now undertaking a feasibility study to evaluate adapting its unique products and services to help assisted living facilities nationwide. Such exciting times…