Difference between revisions of "Overview of Legal Issues in Residential Care"

:''“Residential Care facilities provide 24-hour professional care and supervision to adults in a supportive, secure environment.”''

It is important to recognize that the identified “24 hour professional care” does not mean nursing care (care by registered nurses). The professional care is delivered by a mix of direct care staff (typically residential care aides or health care assistants) under the supervision of a licensed practical nurse, or possibly a registered nurse.   The term “Health Care Assistant” (HCA) is becoming a preferred term for care aides in British Columbia.

In many residential care facilities, the registered nurse will be the Director of Care, who may or may not be on site for that facility. In addition, the residential care facility may employ other professional staff to help support the resident’s care and wellbeing, including for example, a nutritionist, social worker, occupational therapist, a part time physician, physical therapist or recreational therapist.

Residential Care Aides provide basic resident care, offering residents assistance with the activities of daily living - such as bathing, dressing, grooming - and often serve meal trays and feed residents.  They are also known as care attendants or care assistants. When directed by nursing staff (an LPN or RN), the care aides take basic measurements, such as the person’s' blood pressure, temperature and pulse. They are also the frontline workers who are called upon to collect urine, feces or sputum specimens. At present RCAs are not involved in the overall planning  of care for residents, although there have been efforts to make this possible as they often have the most direct contact with the resident. Depending on the facility, they may provide input for care conferences to review the resident’s care.

RCAs are unregulated health care providers. A broad range of private and public colleges or institutes offer “Resident Care Attendant” certificates. In 2008, the Health Care Assistant (HCA) Program Provincial Curriculum was established.   While it is not compulsory at present for the various teaching colleges to use it, there is a  special program recognition process for those colleges that do.  After June 30, 2014, all students who have completed their program in British Columbia will be required to show that they have graduated from one of the recognized British Columbia Health Care assistant programs listed on the Registry website in order to become registered care assistants.