When you think about the risks that come with running a Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE), they probably center on the health and safety of residents. External factors can also introduce other risks, though. As an RCFE owner or manager, thinking through your facility’s different exposures helps you defend against issues.
With that in mind, we want to outline some of the seasonal hazards all RCFE decision-makers should keep in mind.
Winter: Slips and falls
If your facility gets snow — or even occasionally sees temperatures drop below freezing — you need to prepare for the increased risk of a slip-and-fall incident. Even if your RCFE operates in a moderate climate, winter tends to be the time when California sees the most rain.
Slippery surfaces are dangerous for everyone, but elderly folks are most at risk here. That means you need to be proactive about lowering the likelihood of an incident for one of your residents.
That includes:
- Putting non-slip mats at all doorways
- Add anti-skid features to all exterior stairways and ramps
- Task one team member with monitoring entryways and mopping up any moisture
- Create a slip log for any incidents
Thorough tracking of any slips helps in two ways. First, it creates a teachable moment for your facility that you can apply to lower risk in the future. Secondly, it provides evidence if you find yourself facing any legal action for the incident.
Key insurance for wintertime protections
Make sure you have liability insurance in place. If a resident slips and falls, there’s always the chance that they or their family could take legal action. Liability insurance steps in to help your facility cover the cost of defense, plus any resulting settlement.
One more quick note here as you think about insurance for winter risks: standard commercial property coverage generally doesn’t include floods. If your facility is in an area that could flood, talk with your broker about the protections you need.
Summer: Wildfires
In mid-summer, California wildfire season officially gets underway. Recent years have taught all of us to take this seriously.
Your facility needs to have an evacuation plan in place. Make sure you have sufficient staffing, equipment, and vehicles to get everyone to a safe destination if a fire approaches your facility.
You should also think through when you’ll make the evacuation call. Since elderly people tend to be more susceptible to issues from smoke inhalation, you might need to get your residents out before your facility would technically be under evacuation orders.
Key insurance for summertime protections
If a fire impacts your facility, good commercial property insurance helps in a number of ways.
For starters, it funds the rebuilding of any destroyed structures and repurchasing of everything from medical equipment to furniture. Additionally, it can help to pay to repair any smoke damage. Even if your entire facility doesn’t burn, fixing smoke damage can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars.
On top of all of this, some commercial property policies cover business interruption. That means they replace part of the income you lose while you can’t operate.
Proper insurance coverage helps you defend your RCFE against risks season after season. For help choosing the right policies for your specific facility, contact our team at InsureMyRCFE at (805) 413-5668 today.
