Why an RN Makes Elder Placement Easier & More Effective

We sat down with Nancy Haberman, RN, of Calm Harbor Placements, and asked her why working with an RN - particularly one who’s served in geriatric care - makes a difference in the elder care placement process. Here’s what she shared.

How does an RN provide a better assessment of care needs?

An RN can evaluate and understand the client’s mental and physical needs based on their medical diagnoses, personal preferences and lifestyle choices, and will be able to more precisely predict the client’s current and future needs than most non-RN elder placement agents can. The RN can also evaluate the adult family home and its care providers to ensure that they fully understand the client’s medical needs, mental health needs or future needs, particularly if they have a progressive disease. The RN placement agent falls back on years of experience in the clinical settings, providing tips for making the care transition easier and more comfortable for the client. The RN is also trained to teach, and can strengthen the relationship between families and the adult family home to foster a greater understanding of the client’s needs holistically.

What unique insights does an RN have about care facilities and how can an RN ensure that the chosen adult family home is truly equipped to meet the client’s health conditions and safety concerns?

As RN’s, we are often familiar with the home doctors and ARNP’s who provide services at the adult family homes in the area. We ask detailed questions of the adult family home to get a better understanding of the entire coordination of care between the home doctor, the Nurse Delegator (the nurse contracted to visit the home regularly to assess patient’s needs and provide ongoing nursing training and oversight to in-home caregivers), and the home care agencies the adult family home employs. The RN evaluates the experience of the adult family home provider to determine if the adult family home is capable of providing the level of care that the client will need. For example, if a client has a severe wound, I can determine if this adult family home has had the experience handling this scenario. An RN placement agent has an in-depth understanding of the rules and regulations (WACs) and can thoroughly review DSHS inspection reports. They can assess any identified issues, confirm they have been resolved, and ensure compliance.

I am proud to be an RN placement agent with so many years of experience training caregivers, teaching required dementia and mental health courses, providing administration training for adult family homes, and serving as a Nurse Delegator within these homes. I rely on this inside view of these homes, and if my client needs to consider a home outside of the ones I routinely visit, I can ask the important questions to thoroughly vet the alternatives and ensure confidence in the recommendations.

How does having an RN involved reduce stress for families?

As an RN with 30+ years of experience in geriatric care, I have experienced a wide variety of situations that a non-RN may not have encountered. Over the years I’ve taught caregiving classes and done extensive work as a Nurse Delegator in adult family homes, so I know many of the staff members personally in the homes that I recommend. I’ve seen clients struggle with dementia and agitation, causing disruption to the home and stress for families. In these cases, I recommend talking with the doctor and asking for a low dose anti-anxiety (such as Seroquel or Ativan) medication that can be given if agitation escalates with the move. I also urge the client to establish a good sleep schedule prior to the move to an adult family home, sometimes requiring medication such as Trazodone be given at bedtime to help establish a reasonable sleep pattern before moving.

Typically it takes about 30 days for a client to feel “at home” in the new setting; however, most clients don’t truly settle in completely for about 90 days. Understanding this ahead of time may give people some peace of mind.

An RN placement agent will be able to answer your ongoing questions regarding medications, care, new medical issues and general medical concerns that a non-RN placement person may not have experience to answer.

When you’re ready for elder care placement services, reach out to us and you can rest assured our geriatric care RN experience will bring ease and added peace of mind to the entire process.