In a recent post on Safety Matters, the blog for the Workers’ Compensation Board of Nova Scotia, talked about the simple yet surprising math behind the daily routines of staff at the RK MacDonald.
240 staff, 136 residents, several cats, quite a few birds, and a visiting dog program come together to make up the rich and vibrant community of R. K. MacDonald Nursing Home, fondly known as the RK.
So what’s the biggest safety challenge in this large home that recognizes and appreciates the uniqueness of every person who lives and works there? Essentially, it’s a math challenge!
1. How many residents are in your facility?
2. How many residents in your facility use a mechanical lift (ceiling/hoyer)?
3. Multiply the answer from question #2 by 4 (assumes 4 lifts per day).
4. Multiply the answer from question #3 by 7 (days per week).
5. Multiply the answer from question #4 by 52 (weeks per year).The answer from question #5 is how many estimated lifts are happening with your staff every year.
At a recent Keeping PACE symposium, Terry MacIntyre, the RK’s Director of Clinical Services, challenged the audience to try the math at their respective homes, because what the math told the RK was that over 150,000 lifts are happening annually.
You can read the entire article on Safety First, the Workers’ Compensation Board of Nova Scotia’s website.