What Do Nurses Do at Senior Living Communities in Arizona?

The staff at a senior living community is made up of a variety of positions. Everyone from chefs to housekeepers to activities assistants work together to create an environment that feels like home to the residents. Still, there’s one role that remains pivotal to the success of a senior living community in Arizona, and that is a nurse.

Nurses at senior living communities like Solterra Senior Living are on staff 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to take care of the residents in the community. Their jobs are complex and often require them to be masterful at a variety of tasks. With proper training and a positive attitude, they’re able to tackle every component of their job with compassion and skill. Here are just a few of the things that nurses do while working at a senior living community.

Medication Management

As seniors begin to age, they often are prescribed medicine. This can vary from one or two pills to a wider variety of pills that need to be taken at specific times of the day. When managing their medication becomes too much for them or they become incapable of doing it on their own, a nurse will provide assistance. Nurses at Solterra Senior Living take on the responsibility of providing residents with their medication at the required times of day. With their help, residents no longer have to worry about receiving and taking their medications at the right time and in the right dosage. On-site nurses will make sure it’s done.

Manage Scheduling

With the need for 24-hour care in a senior living community, proper scheduling is an important task. It’s often a head nurse’s responsibility to set up work assignments and schedules for the other nurses on staff. This includes making sure there’s someone to come in at all times in case a scheduled nurse is unable to make their shift. A nurse’s ability to create and fill in schedules so that the residents are never left without a nurse is just one of the many ways they ensure care is always available for residents.

Memory Care

Caring for residents with memory impairment is a large task. Their safety is of utmost importance and requires trained and skilled individuals to be responsible for them. At Solterra Senior Living, caregivers are specially trained in the disease process associated with dementias. They work hard to understand the emotional and physical distress that patients experience and to care for them accordingly. Nurses are there to assist them with everyday tasks, as well as provide them with medication management.

Managing Total Care

Like the role of many other nurses, the overall care of residents is often the main responsibility of the nursing staff at senior care communities. This can include tasks such as drawing blood, preparing IVs, checking vital signs, and creating a care plan. Nurses get to know residents on a personal level from being around them each and every day and can create a care plan that best suits their physical and emotional needs.