Sunrise Memory Care tracks everything. Incident reports. Skin assessments. Family complaints. In 2024, the pattern was clear: tape-related skin injuries were their most common preventable incident. Not falls. Not medication errors. Tape removal.
"Our residents have the most vulnerable skin imaginable," explains Director of Nursing Maria Chen. "Dementia patients on multiple medications, many on blood thinners, most over 80. When you're doing daily dressing changes, the math is brutal. Eventually, you're going to cause damage."
The Protocol Change
The facility's quality improvement committee proposed a simple intervention: switch from adhesive medical tape to self-adhering tape for all routine bandaging. The cost difference was minimal. The potential impact was significant.
Staff training took one morning. The technique is simple: wrap instead of stick. Overlap layers so the tape bonds to itself. Remove by unwrapping rather than pulling.
Some staff were skeptical. Would it really hold? What about residents who pick at bandages? Would it survive showers?
The Results
Six months after implementation, the data told the story. Tape-related skin injuries dropped by 60%. Time spent on wound care decreased as staff no longer dealt with iatrogenic tears. Family complaints about bandaging fell to near zero.
"The most surprising thing was the effect on our dementia residents," Maria notes. "Many of them would pick at adhesive bandages — the sensation bothered them. Self-adhering tape is smoother, less irritating. They leave it alone."
Beyond the Numbers
The real impact isn't captured in incident reports. It's in the daily interactions between caregivers and residents. Dressing changes that used to cause distress are now routine. Staff don't dread bandaging fragile arms. Residents don't flinch when they see the tape.
"We're in the business of providing comfort to people in the most vulnerable stage of their lives," Maria says. "This one change removed a source of daily pain. That matters."