Pest Control Your Senior Health Care Facility Can Live With

How Do You Provide Pest Control to Senior Health Care Facilities?

Hearts Pest Management recognizes that we humans of all ages can feel fragile. All the more so as we age. Unlike other pest control companies built from a long history of experience as exterminators, the owner of Hearts Pest Management entered the field after a career in social work and senior consulting. With a “first do no harm” approach and a passion to raise the level of education within the pest control industry and a desire to create a high communications focused organization, we became the place for green customers to go. Hearts was the 1st EcoWise Certified pest control company anywhere in southern California. Recently we won the coveted California Environmental Protection Agency Integrated Pest Management Innovator Award. Part of what we do is listen, learn and build custom green programs that meet the needs of our customers with special populations and service requirements, such as those absolute requirements found in senior living and senior care centers helping our aging population.

Special Programs for Specialty Senior Living Centers

Senior Health Care Facilities present a unique situation as they have multiple areas of concern with each requiring a different pest management approach. At Hearts Pest Management we are dedicated to addressing all of these areas individually. These areas include: Kitchen – Kitchens in these facilities are different from a hotel and other kitchens because of the residents´ dietary needs and the way foods are prepared. Pests here can include cockroaches, ants, and pantry pests. These pests tend to hide in incoming deliveries and possibly brought in by staff members. The carts which are used to transport the food from the kitchens to the residents´ rooms can spread cockroaches throughout an entire facility inadvertently. Proper sanitation practices and pest control maintenance can greatly impact an infestation of the kitchen and residents rooms. – All laundry in a health care facility has the inherent danger of being contaminated by blood and feces, which cockroaches feed upon. Usually facilities have biohazard storage areas where contaminated laundry is held before being taken to the laundry room and should be monitored for this type of activity. Dining rooms – These areas should be inspected during every service since it is an area where all residents congregate for meals and can pass pests to other residents. Carts are brought in to serve food which can spread cockroaches from the kitchen to the dining rooms and residents. Rooms – Usually rooms are occupied by more than one resident. With multiple residents living in one room, it would be easy for an infestation to move from one resident´s belongings to another´s very quickly. Resident´s families can sometimes be the culprit in the start of an infestation in a by bringing in blankets, clothing, and food from their home or a store. Offices – These workspaces can have the same pests as the rest of the facility. Employees often eat breakfast or lunch at their desks attracting many different pests and can also bring in pests from their home. Exterior – At these types of facilities the exterior of the building is different from a residential home. These buildings have large trash dumpsters, storage buildings, landscaping, and break areas. The dumpsters break areas attract many different pests looking for food and the landscaping gives them cover and breeding grounds.

Communications with Senior Health Care Professionals

Some of the pests that may find their way into the interior areas are German Roaches, drain flies, pantry pests, rats and mice, and bed bugs. Exterior pests may include rodents (rats, mice, squirrels, and gophers), ants, Oriental Roaches (Water Bugs), birds, and bees. We at Hearts Pest Management always start with a complete facility inspection to determine the immediate and preventative needs of each of these areas. On each visit our technicians are in contact with the maintenance personnel, kitchen manager, and the head nurse on duty of each floor to communicate findings and address any concerns they may have. Depending on the findings and concerns Hearts will develop a plan of action suited to the customers´ requirements. Due to the residents´ age and physical or mental illness, a green approach is best suited for these types of facilities: assisted living facilities, nursing homes, senior residences, and independent living facilities.

Recap of our Green Pest Management Approach to Senior Care Centers

A green approach would mean using the training we have received by being EcoWise Certified. EcoWise Certified is a project of the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), which also sponsors the Bay Area Green Business Program. EcoWise Certified was founded in partnership with the Bio-Integral Resource Center, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Sacramento Storm water Quality Partnership. Being EcoWise Certified means we will provide effective, prevention-based pest control, minimizing the need to use pesticides. Just some of the green approaches include, but are not limited to are, to brush or roll on pest control products instead of spraying them to keep them from becoming airborne, use vacuums and steamers to eliminate the need for stronger pest control products, and using bed bug mattress covers and bed bug monitoring stations to prevent infestations. We hope you will call us with your concerns about your senior care centers and those you love and need preventive and thoughtful pest control services aimed a bit less at killing and a bit more at providing peace of mind.