After years of discussion by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, the North Carolina General Assembly and the adult care home industry, the North Carolina Association of Long Term Care Facilities has taken the initiative to develop a customized web-based program that will improve care and increase efficiency in the state’s adult care homes.
New technology aims to transform adult care in North Carolina. This web based program will try to improve care in assisted living communities by identifying and analyzing the needs of the resident; including the preferences of residents. With the click of a few buttons, adult care homes across North Carolina can soon develop a personal care plan for each resident, better assess the overall needs, and improve the delivery of care. In addition, this allows adult care homes to re-evaluate how they serve residents and find more ways to operate efficiently.
ACHieve guides staff members through an evaluation of each resident’s health and care needs, then uses the information to develop a customized care plan. The plan specifies exactly what level of care each resident needs, how often certain care is needed and who is responsible for providing the care. In addition, since ACHieve is a web based program, it can be accessed by appropriate home health agencies, mental health professionals, physicians, pharmacists, and state and county licensing and survey staff.
It also offers staff easy access to educational resources and tools to promote their ability to do a good job in responding to resident needs. ACHieve encourages expanded peer support and offers employees access to and assistance from professionals who can share expertise and provide technical support. As a result, adult care homes can improve care, reduce survey deficiencies and operate in “survey ready” mode daily. In fact, to date 7 county DSS’s have agreed to help pilot the system once it is rolled out, including Lincoln County DSS.
Lou Wilson, executive director of the North Carolina Association of Long Term Care Facilities, hopes that ACHieve will have a far reaching impact on adult care by helping state officials better understand who is being served by the adult care home industry. “No one has a good grasp on who is living in North Carolina’s adult care homes and the type of care these residents require. This new program will allow us to collect and analyze information from adult care homes across the state. By providing a clear picture of our residents and their needs, we hope state leaders will have the information they needs to make policy decisions that affect our elderly population.”
ACHieve was developed by VieBridge, Inc., a healthcare technology company. The company worked closely with an advisory group of adult care home owners, operators and the state to better understand how the adult care home industry operates and how the program can best serve the 40,000 North Carolina residents who live in adult care homes.
For more information, please contact the North Carolina Association, Long Term Care Facilities at www.ncaltcf.com or Executive Director, Lou Wilson at lou@ncaltcf.com.
