Assisted Living Facilities and Bed Bug Prevention

Assisted Living, nursing homes, and rehabilitation centers have one common problem – bed bugs. It’s becoming an epidemic, not just across the United States but worldwide. Frequent visitors, the sedentary nature of residents in these facilities, and a constant influx of new patients/residents contribute to bed bug infestations. Finding the right pest control company that has the welfare of both staff and residents is important in the treatment of bed bugs. Hearts Pest Management’s service professionals are experts at bed bug detection and treatment. We don’t just treat, we educate. We want your facility staff to know how to identify bed bugs and be proactive in preventing bed bugs. Assisted living and nursing homes are susceptible to bed bug infestations because of the nature of the business; rooms occupied, are often shared by strangers and visiting family members, giving hitchhiking bugs a new place to nest.

Bed Bug Identification

Here are some of the signs your facility may have bed bugs:

• Fecal matter (dark spots) on edges of mattresses.
• Actual bugs themselves; very small, color ranging from light brown to bright red or black (the red and black ones have just fed).
• Bed bug shell casting and egg casings.
• Residents complaining of an itchy, red rash.
• The smell of rotten raspberries.

NOTE: In nursing homes and assisted living, many elderly cannot see bed bug evidence and rely on staff to make them aware of any issues. Plus, some may have bed bugs but don’t complain because they don’t know they have them – 30% of humans show no response to bed bug bites.

Areas Bed Bugs Hide

Besides the living quarters, bed bugs can be found in many of the common rooms within a facility. These rooms tend to be cramped with residents and their personal belongings. A routine check for evidence of bed bugs in the hair salon, meeting and craft rooms, and the dining area is important for these high traffic areas. Bed bugs get into luggage, clothing, headboards, mattresses and box springs, drapes, behind wall hangings and picture frames, upholstered furniture, carpet, electrical sockets, joints of drawers, even in appliances and medical equipment. Eggs take up to 10 days to hatch and can easily stick to backpacks, luggage, shoes, etc. An average lifespan is about two months but in that timeframe, a female bed bug can lay up to 250 eggs! One can see how easy it is to carry eggs various places and not know it until several days later, after they’ve hatched.

Bed Bug Prevention

Bed bug prevention requires the vigilant attention of staff members to detect and report any signs of bed bugs to management. Hearts provides bed bug inspections free-of-charge. If bed bugs are discovered, we will give you various options of treatments available, information on how to prepare, and what to expect before and after a bed bug treatment. We will gladly educate your staff on where to look for evidence of bed bugs and how to prevent them. Bed bug issues must be addressed in a timely manner, partly to allay the fear residents may have and also to seek treatment from your pest management professional right away.

Education is the First Step to Bed Bug Prevention

Preventative measures include the following:

• All levels of staff should learn the basics of bed bugs so that they can detect them as soon as possible. When new residents arrive, it’s important, although a delicate situation, to inspect their belongings and ask questions regarding recent travel.
• Each shift should have a person available to report any concerns about bed bugs.
• Keeping clutter to a minimum.
• Consider covering all of the mattresses and box springs with a plastic cover that can be sealed shut to prevent such pests from getting into them (or to permanently trap any already there).
• Periodically inspect bedding and other places in each resident’s room which are typical harborage sites for bed bugs.
• Get residents on board for reporting any reoccurring bug bites and educate them on the importance of reducing clutter and keeping their area accessible for inspections.
• Have your pest management professional install bed bug monitors that can be checked on a regular basis.

Bed Bug Control IS Possible!

Although assisted living facilities have a special set of circumstances in bed bug prevention, it is possible to keep bed bugs under control – Even with the fact that many of the residents are immobile. Treatment and cost-effective preventive methods can be achieved. Hearts Pest Management understands the uniqueness of assisted living and nursing homes; we will do our best to help you get bed bugs under control and eliminate further infestations. Please call today to schedule a free bed bug inspection:

800-986-1006

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