Kaplan Estates Residents and Staff Celebrate Safety Awareness Week

The Physical Therapy & Occupational Therapy staff at Legacy Lifecare VNA ushered in Patient Safety Awareness Week, held nationally March 9 through March 15, with an educational session for Kaplan Estate residents. The event focused upon strategies and techniques to help reduce the risk of falls.

“We want our residents to understand the ‘Safety Starts with Me’ theme,” remarked Jennifer Ferringo, COTA & Community Liason at Legacy Lifecare VNA & Out-Patient Therapy. “It’s important that our residents are mindful of their surroundings —  both inside and outside the assisted living.” Ferringo explained that individuals have the power to make safe and purposeful movements. “For example, using a reacher when sitting, as opposed to standing, helps reduce the risks for falls,” advised Jennifer.

During the session, residents shared strategies that worked for them and how they were able to modify their environment to make certain situations easier for them at times. Jennifer stressed that therapy should be used before a fall or fracture occurs to help individuals remain strong and healthy.

Going forward, Harriett & Ralph Kaplan Estates and Legacy Lifecare VNA will offer monthly educational sessions on such topics as overall safety, medication safety and infection control. “Clearly, this is a collaborative effort to ensure the optimal safety of our residents,” remarked Ferringo. “Our goal is to keep each resident strong and healthy. We want them to live at the assisted living as long as possible.”