Care plans are created for the residents living in a nursing home and utilize the nursing process.  To further explain the five stages of this process, a very general and simple example, addressing safety issues is being presented.  The assessment, nursing diagnosis and part of the planning process (the goal) have been discussed previously in Tip #17. The planning stage also includes formulating interventions to help the staff achieve the goal, which in this case, the example was “the resident will have no injury related to falls” or “safety will be maintained.”  Interventions to prevent the risk of injuries and/or falls, in this case, may include: a low bed, mat to floor next to bed, a personal alarm at all times (in bed and chair), Physical Therapy and Occupation Therapy to evaluate and treat,  provide rest periods between activities, attempt to reorient and remind resident not to get up without assistance (if appropriate), call light in reach, non skid footwear when up  and  physical assistance of one for ambulation, toileting and transfers with the use of a gait belt.  The above are just simple examples of interventions to address safety issues.  Potential or actual problems identified during the assessment, should be addressed with specific interventions to help prevent the problem from occurring.  The family may be able to provide the nursing staff with information relating to what has or has not worked in the past to keep their loved one safe.  More to follow on care plans and the stages of the nursing process including implementation and evaluation.