Managing medications is one of the most common reasons a family decides a parent can no longer live alone. At both Silvergate homes, medications are stored securely, administered on schedule, and documented, and the whole system is overseen by a registered nurse.
Levels of medication support
- Reminders for residents who manage their own medications but need a prompt
- Assistance with oral medications, topical creams, and eye drops
- Full administration for residents who cannot manage medications themselves
- Insulin injections and blood sugar monitoring for residents with diabetes, performed by caregivers who have been delegated the task by a registered nurse
What nurse delegation is
In Washington, certain nursing tasks, such as giving insulin or performing blood glucose checks, may be performed by a trained caregiver only when a registered nurse has assessed the resident, trained the caregiver for that specific resident and task, and formally delegated it. The RN then supervises the delegation on an ongoing basis. This is set out in state law and is standard practice in adult family homes.
At Silvergate, nurse delegation is provided by a contracted registered nurse. Delegation fees are billed to the resident and are separate from the monthly rate. We explain these costs before admission so there are no surprises.
RN oversight of the whole picture
Our owner, Mary Ndungu, is a registered nurse. Beyond the delegation process, she reviews each resident's medication list, watches for interactions and side effects, and contacts the prescriber when something changes. When a resident is seen by a physician, home health nurse, or hospice team, we make sure medication orders are reconciled so everyone is working from the same list.
Working with pharmacies and physicians
We coordinate refills and delivery with the resident's pharmacy and can arrange blister packaging to reduce errors. Families can keep their parent's existing physician, and we communicate with that office directly. If a resident needs skilled nursing beyond what delegation allows, we coordinate home health services in the home.
Questions to ask any home
When you tour an adult family home in Bonney Lake, Buckley, or anywhere in Pierce County, ask who does the nurse delegation, how often the RN visits, and what delegation costs. We are glad to answer all three.