AHRQ Safety Program for Long-Term Care: HAIs/CAUTI
What can I do as a resident or family member to partner with staff?
- Share your concerns, needs, and observations.
- Take an active role in your individual care or in the care of your family member.
- Talk to and listen to staff to learn ways you can improve care andsafety in your facility.
- Speak up if you have concerns that staff may not be following safe practices or if you observe a safety issue.
- Actively participate on residentand family councils and facility committees and teams.
- Provide input on new programs, policies, or services; share your ideas.
- Support programs designed to reduce infections in your facility.
- Support staff and physician education in how to work with residents and family members as partners.
- Learn how you can prevent infections
Where can I find more information?
- Advancing Excellence in America's Nursing Homes: Person-Centered Care.
- National Long-Term Care Ombudsmen Resource Center.
- Institute for Patient and Family Centered Care. Tips for Group Leaders and Facilitators on Involving Patients and Families on Committees and Task forces. 2010.
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Working With Patients and Families as Advisors. 2013.
What is resident and family engagement?
- Residents and their families are treated as individuals and as members of the health care team.
- Staff actively listen to residents and families about what they want and need.
- Residents, families, and staff work together as partners.
- Staff ask residents for their ideas and act on them whenever possible.
What are the benefits of resident and family engagement?
- Better care.
- Better quality of life (e.g., more say in how you live your life).
- Greater resident, family, and staff satisfaction.
- More attention to individual preferences and needs (e.g., what activities are offered, the time when you must wake up).
- Improved relationships and trust among staff, residents and families.
What can my long-term care facility do to partner with me?
- Ask residents and their families what they want in their care and daily life
- Get to know the needs and preferences of residents and their family members
- Actively encourage residents and their families to take part in planning the residents' care
- Ask residents and their families what they think about their care and daily life
- Involve residents and their families in decision making
- Encourage everyone on the team to talk and listen to one another
- Share information on infection prevention efforts