Tork Launches Innovative Hygiene Trainings For Staff In Long Term Care Homes

State-of-the art educational program uses interactive learning to improve outcomes and drive behaviour change

Philadelphia, PA /PRNewswire/ - New research, conducted by Essity for its global leading Tork professional hygiene brand, has uncovered the desire among staff in Long Term Care facilities for improved training in areas such as hand hygiene and cleaning procedures. With cleaning and hygiene protocols more stringent than ever, 58% of cleaning staff have said they find it challenging to follow all the steps and tasks in cleaning guidelines and 68% of care staff would like to receive better and more interesting/interactive training in hand hygiene¹.

To meet these increased expectations, Tork has launched two, free of charge, online training solutions. This state-of-the art educational program provides a great interactive learning experience for improved outcomes and behavioral change – helping to raise hygiene and health standards in Long Term Care environments.

Tork Cleaning Training for Long Term Care Homes
Tork Cleaning Training for Long Term Care Homes has been developed in collaboration with subject matter experts (AHE - Association for Healthcare Environment) and Long Term Care homes to give staff the knowledge and tools to maintain cleanliness and hygiene within care facilities. Based on "real world" scenarios, but in a safe virtual world, the training can be customized to local cleaning guidelines to ensure cleaning staff carry out their tasks according to the best recommendations.

Tork Clean Hands Training for Long Term Care Homes
This online and virtual reality training course has been developed with leading hygiene experts, using the WHO My 4 Moments for Hand Hygiene in a residential home environment. The interactive simulation is specifically designed to make hand hygiene training more engaging and inspiring than ever before, while equipping Long Term Care staff with the day-to-day skills they need to secure hand hygiene at every moment.

Tork helps offer an easily implemented solution
Increasing pressures on staff after Covid has left many Long Term Care facilities feeling challenged - staff turnover is high, and this can impact the quality and consistency of care. Long Term Care facilities are now looking for cost-effective hygiene solutions that reduce the risk of infection and virus transmission, while maintaining an 'at-home' feel and resident independence. Tork hygiene solutions are easily integrated into a nursing home or assisted living facility and quickly improve hygiene management efficiency. This means, staff can spend more time providing better care and create a safer, happier home for residents.

Helping improve the experience of every resident
Hygiene solutions are a critical part of daily care and help provide independence and dignity for residents, with 81% of residents' families agreeing that independent toilet visits preserve residents' dignity. That's why Tork offers solutions that are certified "Easy to Use"² and have a wide range of placement options. They support residents who have limited strength and find it difficult to operate dispensers that require the pulling levers or tearing tissue.

Saving staff crucial time and improving hygiene
Hygiene solutions can play a crucial role in freeing up time for important caring tasks. With 56% of cleaners agreeing that checking hygiene dispensers and fetching product refills takes up a big part of their cleaning time, two-thirds (66%) of care staff agree that they are so busy that a single thing holding us up means we are often behind till the end of the shift. That's why Tork offers dispensers that are high capacity and quick to refill, ensuring staff can save time and focus on the residents. All Tork dispensers also open with the same key for additional ease of maintenance.

Less time looking after dispensers. More time looking after residents.
Six out of 10 (62%) cleaners agree that cleaning rounds would be faster if they could tell which dispensers needed refilling¹, so they didn't need to open them all. Using real-time data, Tork Vision Cleaning monitors dispensers and informs the staff exactly when and where they need refilling, cutting out unnecessary checks. This ensures hygiene standards stay consistent and save staff time, so they can focus on the residents.

How Tork can help

• Provide attractive, easy-to-use hygiene solutions for elderly residents
• Award-winning, modern, low-profile dispenser designs with whisper-quiet operation for an 'at-home' feel
• Real-time data that monitors visitor traffic and dispenser refill levels, helping to prevent unnecessary dispenser checks and better manage touchpoint cleaning based on immediate need
• Free online training solutions created by leading experts that enable Long Term Care staff to improve compliance in critical areas such as hand hygiene and cleaning procedures

To learn more about how Tork can help improve outcomes and drive behaviour change within Long Term Care, please visit www.TorkUSA.com/LongTermCare

About Tork
The Tork brand offers professional hygiene products and services to customers worldwide ranging from restaurants and healthcare facilities to offices, schools and industries. Our products include dispensers, paper towels, toilet tissue, soap, napkins, wipers, but also software solutions for data-driven cleaning. Through expertise in hygiene, functional design and sustainability, Tork has become a market leader that supports customers to think ahead so they're always ready for business. Tork is a global brand of Essity, and a committed partner to customers in over 110 countries. To keep up with the latest Tork news and innovations, please visit www.TorkUSA.com.

About Essity
Essity is a leading global hygiene and health company. We are dedicated to improving well-being through our products and services. Sales are conducted in approximately 150 countries under the leading global brands TENA and Tork, and other strong brands, such as JOBST, Leukoplast, Libero, Libresse, Lotus, Nosotras, Saba, Tempo, Vinda, and Zewa. Essity has about 46,000 employees. Net sales in 2021 amounted to approximately $12 billion. The company's headquarters is located in Stockholm, Sweden, and Essity is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. Philadelphia is Essity's North American headquarters. In addition to Pennsylvania, Essity has U.S. operations in Alabama, Kentucky, Ohio, Oklahoma, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin. Essity breaks barriers to well-being and contributes to a healthy, sustainable, and circular society. More information at www.essity.com.

¹ Tork Long Term care cleaner, care giver and resident family research study, 2022

² Certified easy to use by the Swedish Rheumatism Association (SRA)