Safety Topics

Will Baycrest communicate changes in your or your relative’s health status?

Upon admission, clients and families are asked about the extent of communication they want to receive regarding their own or loved one’s health. This information is recorded in the clients’ health record. Baycrest staff will communicate significant changes in condition or injury directly to the individual or family members. Other issues such as outbreaks or changes in the program or unit which affects clients and family members are also communicated by unit staff and other communication tools like the Coming to Baycrest of our website. 

Clients and families are invited to attend regular meetings with care teams, and are encouraged to speak with staff regarding immediate issues. If these issues cannot be resolved, clients and families may call the unit/program director or clinical manager.

Communication can help improve safety

As a patient or family member, it is important that you understand as much as possible about the health care you or your loved one receive. Ask questions until you feel comfortable with any treatment options, instructions or health advice. Also, you should tell your health care providers any important information that will help them provide the best care and avoid any unintended results.

• Write questions down in advance of your appointment and take notes when meeting with health care providers.
• Ask what you can or need to do to alleviate symptoms or make your condition better.
• Ask your doctor, nurse or pharmacist questions about your medications, such as why you are taking the medication, what the side effects are, how the medication will help you, and how and when you should take your medication.
• Keep a list or journal of your symptoms, your questions and write down answers.
• Let your doctor know if you are under the treatment or care of any other doctors or healthcare professionals, such as naturopath or herbalist.
• Let you doctor know if you’ve had any adverse reactions or allergies to previous medications.
• Talk to your health care provider at the first sign of any discomfort or something that doesn’t feel “quite right”.

What do you do if you spot fire or smoke?

Find a Baycrest staff member immediately. If you cannot find a staff member, call ext. 5555 to report the event. Pull the nearest fire alarm. Listen for overhead announcements and follow instructions from staff members. 

Baycrest has extensive emergency preparedness plans and all staff members participate in an emergency preparedness training program. This program includes new staff orientation, annual refresher training, mock tests or drills, pandemic planning and new initiatives. 

Emergency Preparedness Plan

What do you do if equipment (wheelchair, lift, etc) needed for yourself or your family member is not working?

Do not attempt to fix anything yourself or try to use it if it is broken. This equipment requires a trained technician. Please inform a nurse or the program/unit director.

All clinical equipment is inspected regularly by a qualified technician, identified with a tag and recorded in a central database. Equipment which is taken out of service or which need repairs is tagged “Do Not Use.”

What should you do if you fall or if you see someone else fall?

If you can move safely, pull the call bell, or call ext. 5555 to report the fall. If you cannot get to the call bell or telephone, call for help. Do not move or move anyone else until a nurse or physician has completed an assessment.

Baycrest’s falls prevention and management protocols enable staff to identify and assess clients at risk for falls and implement individualized prevention strategies which may include: medication review; pain management; family/companion involvement; environmental modifications and mobility enhancement.

Please tell staff if you or your loved one have a history of falling, feel weak or dizzy, have difficulty maintaining balance, walking, or getting up, have vision or hearing problems, or suffer from cognitive impairment, psychiatric problems or depression.

What do you do if you witness a medical emergency?

A medical emergency is a sudden injury or illness which poses an immediate risk to a person’s life or long term health and requires intervention from the health care team.

Any client or family member witnessing a medical emergency should find a Baycrest staff member so he/she can notify the communications centre. If possible, remain with the individual. A trained, designated alert response team will immediately go to the emergency location and provide assistance.

How does Baycrest avoid medication errors? How can you help minimize the risks?

Baycrest is committed to ensuring accurate and safe medication administration. On admission, a comprehensive approach is taken by various team-based clinicians to gather medication information and create a Best Possible Medication History. Clients and families are encouraged to bring in ALL medications, even it taken only occasionally, including over-the-counter, herbals, and vitamins. Clients and families are encouraged to be involved in the process. Based on this information and other sources, admission medication orders are created. At Baycrest, we have a computerized physician order entry of prescriptions and conduct team-based regular medication reviews assisting the effectiveness and safety for each client. 

At Baycrest, a comprehensive interprofessional assessment approach helps determine the cause of the pain, and the proactive development of a client-centered care plan to ensure safe pharmacological management of the client's pain.

Please speak to your pharmacist, nurse or physician whether you are a client or family member when a change in wellbeing is noticed that could be a medication side effect, or when you have any questions about the medications.

Should clients with persistent pain take over-the-counter pain medication?

Over-the-counter (OTC) medication like acetaminophen/Tylenol can be harmful to older persons when they are not taken and monitored according to safety guidelines. Lack of knowledge and poor memory can increase the risk of taking inappropriate amounts of OTC medication. Do not take or offer your family member medications which were not prescribed before consulting with a staff member.

At Baycrest, a comprehensive interprofessional assessment approach helps determine the cause of the pain, and proactively develop a client-centered care plan to ensure safe pharmacological management of the client’s pain.

What do you do if someone threatens to harm you (or if you see someone being harmed), verbally or physically?

At Baycrest, there is a team of professionals who are available 24/7 to assist with managing uncontrollable, disruptive or aggressive behaviours. We have policies in place regarding aggressive behaviour that apply to clients, families, private companions, visitors, staff and volunteers. If you ever feel threatened, please contact a manager or unit director.

Find a Baycrest staff member. Take threats seriously and do not attempt to deal with an aggressive behaviour on your own.

Should individuals in wheelchairs always use seat belts?

The need for restraints is guided by a treatment plan created by the health care team. The plan is discussed with the client or the client’s substitute decision maker. Baycrest’s physical restraint policy, guided by provincial legislation, is a least restraint approach which includes restraint alternatives.

A seat belt is considered a restraint if a person is unable to undo it by him/her self. The use of restraints can contribute to a range of serious consequences, even death. Informed consent must be obtained from the person (if capable of providing consent) prior to the use of any type of restraint except in emergency situations. A substitute decision maker may not insist on restraint use. This must be a conversation with the health care team, the substitute decision maker and the client, where possible.

What should you do if you see a client who appears lost?

Try to find a Baycrest staff member. Call the communications centre at ext. 2130 or ask someone else to call while you stay with the person until a staff member arrives. Try to get his or her name and a description of the person, his or her location, and where he or she plans to go. Establish eye contact, speak softly and ask “can I help you” or “may I walk with you?”

To ensure their safety, clients who may wander are required to wear a wristband with an electronic device, which sounds off an alarm if they leave a secured unit or Baycrest. If you see a client who has set of the alarm, please report this to any Baycrest staff member.