Consulting Services

 Every Community must have strong protocols that will provide safety for the residents, staff, and guests.  The administration will develop policies and procedures that will be carried out by the staff, residents, and guests. 

The policy and procedures will be used as a guide to teaching the staff the how, when, where, why, and who to use the personal protective equipment that serves as a barrier to protecting all those who are work and live in the community.

The Florida Statutes 429, Part I, and the Florida Administrative Codes 59A-36 are created to guide the licensee to maintain operational compliance for the safety of the residents.  The administration is to follow the regulations, however, when circumstances find the operator out of compliance, they will usually hire the help of a consultant to restore compliance into the facility. 

The state issues a moratorium when there is a threat to the health, safety or welfare at an assisted living community.  That order bans the facility from admitting new residents but allows it to continue operating after posting a notice of the moratorium at the facility. 

In such cases, the facility will hire an attorney and consultant to represent them throughout the months while the moratorium is in effect.  The attorney will consult with the Agency and the consultant will work side by side with the administrator and staff to ensure that they are carrying out the changes and recommendations given by the consultant.

Sometimes a moratorium can result in:

• Imminent danger
• Death

Which can result in:

• Moving the residents to another location
• Closing the facility
• Preventing new admission
• Shifting the residents to a wing of the facility

Recommendations to prevent a moratorium

• Hire NALA consulting team

 The owner or administrator of a facility is responsible for determining the appropriateness of admission of an individual to the facility and for determining the continued appropriateness of residence of an individual in the facility. A determination shall be based upon an assessment of the strengths, needs, and preferences of the resident, the care and services offered or arranged for by the facility in accordance with facility policy, and any limitations in law or rule related to admission criteria or continued residency for the type of license held by the facility.

When the facility and procedures are not effective, the administrator must establish new policy and procedures as there are changes or conditions that are no longer effective.  Revised policy and procedures must be tested by staff to ensure that they will be effective.  For example, since COVID-19 many operators had to revise their policy and procedures as to the way they carry out infection control.

Facilities will gain from a contract with a consulting team to advise them whenever they have those difficult questions and decisions to make that can impact the lives and safety of the day-to-day needs of the residents.  A facility that contracts with a consultant has an experienced person and team that can direct them to make compliant decisions to remain operating without citations that can impact the facility’s financial stability.