Resident experiences with feeling safe | Health Quality Alberta Focus

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Continuing Care Homes: Type B

Formerly
Designated Supported Living

Resident experiences with feeling safe

How residents rated feeling safe, in a 2022-23 survey. (see data definition)

Please note: Site-level results in the 2022-23 FBCC Resident Experience Survey Report are not available because most sites did not meet our public reporting criteria.

What do you think?

  • Why does it matter if a resident feels safe? What aspects of care might be impacted by this element of resident experience?
  • Are there differences between zones? Between mainly rural and urban zones or sites? What factors could account for these differences?

Understanding “resident experiences with feeling safe”

In a survey conducted in 2022-23, Health Quality Alberta asked residents living in continuing care homes – type B (formerly designated supportive living):

Do you feel safe here?

Residents could choose “Yes, always / Yes, sometimes / No, hardly ever / No, never”

Safety can be one of the reasons an individual becomes a resident at a continuing care home and families often feel a site can offer greater safety for their loved one than living on their own.

However, residents should also feel safe while living in their continuing care home. Abusive behaviour by staff or other residents, unknown visitors, and the physical environment are just a few examples of potential safety issues.

Considerations when viewing the results:

  • There are a number of factors providers and leaders can consider to better understand and improve the safety of the resident. Some questions they could ask before taking action include:
    • What characteristics of their care or environment are residents thinking about when answering this question?
    • Are residents comfortable sharing concerns? If not, how might this impact their safety?
    • How is safety addressed in staff orientation?
    • How can a site help staff understand and make their important role in resident safety a priority?
    • What can leadership, specifically those leaders who might not be consistently visible to front line staff, do to demonstrate their commitment to resident safety?
    • How can resident safety be maintained or improved as sites:
      • Create more home-like environments for their residents?
      • Reduce or eliminate the use of restraints?
      • Reduce the inappropriate use of medications (e.g., antipsychotics)?
      • Increase resident choice and independence?
  • Who should be involved in discussions to improve these results? How could residents and/or family members be engaged to develop solutions? What other collaboration might be required to make improvements in this area?
  • For information about Health Quality Alberta’s Facility-based Continuing Care survey, please visit Health Quality Alberta’s website.