Realistic Expectations: Reducing Risk and Building Trust • Risk Resources – May 2025

Realistic Expectations: Reducing Risk and Building Trust

Hear insights from your HRS team and ProAssurance on why realistic expectations matter.

Click here to listen on Spotify.

Why Expectations Matter?

Clear expectations prevent misunderstandings and help families partner effectively with care teams.

It is important to have realistic expectations, so we are not setting ourselves, our loved ones, or the community up for what is unrealistic to deliver.

The sooner these realities can be understood, trust, confidence and mutual goals can be realized. The initial care plan meeting is key.

Strong relationships between staff and families lead to better experiences and fewer complaints driven by unmet expectations. Let’s explore some of the biggest challenges often leading to insurance claims…

Managing Fall Risks

Falls are a top concern in senior care. Despite our best practices, some falls are unavoidable due to health status. Ongoing communication helps families:

• Understand individual fall risks
• Prevention strategies
• Post-fall protocols

Best practices include:

• Providing written/verbal fall prevention info during admissions
• Including families in care planning
• Updating families during visits or via digital tools

Understanding Skin Breakdown

Skin breakdowns can occur even with high-quality care. Families often do not realize how factors like age, immobility, and chronic illness increase risk. Communications and education for them helps them understand why this may happen and be better prepared if it does.

Be proactive by:

• Explaining skin vulnerability early in care
• Sharing prevention plans and realistic outcomes
• Addressing concerns before issues arise

Medication Management

Medication safety and administration is another area where clear expectations are essential, and is often one of the leading causes for questions. Families should understand:

• How medications are prescribed and monitored
• The role of informed consent (e.g., for psychotropic drugs)
• The importance of sharing updates about allergies or home meds

Transparency builds trust. It is essential to proactively communicate and work with your families on medication needs, concerns, and any changes.

Policies & Ongoing Communication

Family understanding improves when staff explain care levels (e.g., assisted living vs. skilled nursing) and regulatory limits. The policies, licensure, and regulatory requirements help families understand why we do what we do, or perhaps why we can’t do something.

Using all available tools to support ongoing communication is critical. These include family meetings, newsletters, digital media, and 1:1 conversation.

Continual focus on the why's and how's of care help ensure best outcomes for everyone.

Key Reminders:

• Communicate early and often
• Connect the dots clearly for families
• Involve families in planning and problem-solving
• Use tools and policies to reinforce understanding

For More Information on increasing your team’s performance while decreasing risk Contact Lanette Williams with Healthcare Risk Services at 601-750-6625 or lanette@hrsins.com.