NAC449.2754. Residential facility which provides care to persons with Alzheimer’s disease: Application for endorsement; general requirements.

     1. A residential facility which offers or provides care for a resident with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia must obtain an endorsement on its license authorizing it to operate as a residential facility which provides care to persons with Alzheimer’s disease. The Division may deny an application for an endorsement or suspend or revoke an existing endorsement based upon the grounds set forth in NAC 449.191 or 449.1915.

     2. If a residential facility is authorized to operate as a residential facility which provides care to persons with Alzheimer’s disease and as another type of facility, the entire facility must comply with the requirements of this section or the residents who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease or other related dementia must be located in a separate portion of the facility that complies with the provisions of this section.

     3. A residential facility which provides care to persons with Alzheimer’s disease may admit or retain a resident who requires confinement in locked quarters.

     4. A residential facility which provides care to persons with Alzheimer’s disease must be administered by a person who:

     (a) Has not less than 3 years of experience in caring for residents with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia in a licensed facility; or

     (b) Has a combination of education and training that the Bureau determines is equivalent to the experience required pursuant to paragraph (a).

     5. The administrator of such a facility shall prescribe and maintain on the premises of the facility a written statement which includes:

     (a) The facility’s policies and procedures for providing care to its residents;

     (b) Evidence that the facility has established interaction groups within the facility which consist of not more than six residents for each caregiver during those hours when the residents are awake;

     (c) A description of:

          (1) The basic services provided for the needs of residents who suffer from dementia;

          (2) The activities developed for the residents by the members of the staff of the facility;

          (3) The manner in which the behavioral problems will be managed;

          (4) The manner in which the medication for residents will be managed;

          (5) The activities that will be developed by the members of the staff of the facility to encourage the involvement of family members in the lives of the residents; and

          (6) The steps the members of the staff of the facility will take to:

               (I) Prevent residents from wandering from the facility; and

               (II) Respond when a resident wanders from the facility; and

     (d) The criteria for admission to and discharge and transfer from the facility.

     6. The written statement required pursuant to subsection 5 must be available for review by members of the staff of the facility, visitors to the facility and the Bureau.

     7. The administrator shall ensure that the facility complies with the provisions of the statement required pursuant to subsection 5.

     8. The members of the staff of the facility shall develop a program of activities that promotes the mental and physical enhancement of the residents. The following activities must be conducted at least weekly:

     (a) Activities to enhance the gross motor skills of the residents;

     (b) Social activities;

     (c) Activities to enhance the sensory abilities of the residents; and

     (d) Outdoor activities.

     (Added to NAC by Bd. of Health by R003-97, eff. 10-30-97; A by R073-03, 1-22-2004; R119-10, 1-13-2011)