In order to provide efficient services, Personnel members providing assistance to residents shall demonstrate knowledge of:

• Medications commonly prescribed for residents with behavioral health issues;
• Common benefits, side effects and adverse reactions to those medications;
• The signs, symptoms, or circumstances indicating that a resident should not take a medication and of who to contact to review and address the resident’s situation;
• Of the differences between assisting in self-administration of medication and medication administration;
• Skills in assisting in self-administration of medication;
• Medical terminology used in assisting in the self-administration of medication, signs, indicators, and symptoms of toxicity or overdose;
• Skill in responding to medication error or medical emergency;
• Skill in documenting assistance in self-administration of medication.

Neema Behavioral Health Residential Care personnel members will assist residents with self-administration process of medication. Agency personnel members will not administer medication and will follow resident self-administration of medication process under the monitoring, training, and oversight of the Agency Registered Nurse. This monthly monitoring process will also include a review of resident’s medication regimen, benefits experienced, any adverse reactions and/or side effects. The monthly monitoring process will ensure personnel member’s compliance with the self-administrating process, appropriate documentation, and through resident review, if medication is achieving the desired results.

The oversight of self-administration of medication will basically involve the following:

• Agency personnel member will inform resident of specific time to self-administer medication, and resident to obtain a full glass of water
• Agency personnel member unlocks the designated secured medication cabinet
• Resident should read the medication label and dose as prescribed (if he/she can); or
• Agency personnel member will read the medication label to the resident to ensure the medication is taken as directed; confirms time, confirm person, confirms medication, confirms doses and route.
• Personnel member opens medication container for Resident if resident cannot open the bottle.
• Personnel member will not touch the medication.
• Personnel member observes resident while the resident removes medication from the container and takes medication with water.
• Resident will stay with personnel member until process is completed, and forms are signed.
• After completion of resident self-administration of medication, the personnel member will secure the medication in the designated locked area.

The agency has a written agreement with a behavioral health professional/Nurse to provide consultation and directions as needed. The RN shall also provide on-going in-service education to personnel. (Self-Medication administration procedures will be reviewed and signed on by the Registered Nurse).