2009 Promoting Excellence in Assisted Living Award Winners and Runners Up
Winner of the Dementia Award
San Juan/Silverado Senior Living (Anne
Ellett)
– “Grand Rounds Behavior Intervention” --
As part of Silverado’s commitment to provide the best
quality of life for its residents with dementia, they established
the Grand Rounds Behavior Intervention program.
This program provides staff with interdisciplinary resources
and support for best approaches to managing challenging behaviors.
The Grand Rounds Behavior Intervention program consists of
monthly conference calls with leaders and dementia care experts from
Silverado, as well as outside consultants such as psychiatrists and
other behavior specialists.
During the monthly conference calls, Silverado staff from all
20 communities can discuss their challenging resident behaviors and
receive advice and suggestions. Often
staff members from other Silverado communities are able to offer
successful, creative suggestions and interventions.
The Grand Rounds program also serves as an excellent means to
educate all staff.
Silverado Senior Living, founded in 1996, is a nationally recognized
leader in providing specialized care for those with memory
impairments such as Alzheimer’s, Lewy Body, vascular and other
related dementias. Silverado offers a full continuum of services,
providing care from earliest onset through end of life. Silverado
currently operates 20 communities in
Arizona,
California,
Texas
and
Utah,
as well as 8 hospice and 5 home care offices.
Silverado also has a number of research affiliations with
leaders in the field of Alzheimer’s disease.
The leader of the Grand Rounds program,
Anne
Ellett,
MSN,
NP-C, has been the Senior Vice President of Health Services for
Silverado for the past eight years. She is
aa
certified nurse practitioner with extensive experience in the field
of gerontology and a passion for providing the best quality of life
for those with memory impairing conditions.
Runner Up to the Dementia Award
Providence Mount St. Vincent (Arlene Carter) – “BEST: Behavioral
Education Support Team”
--
Since 1990, Providence Mount St. Vincent has
been a pioneer and a leader in the culture change movement
(resident-directed care). As part of this effort, the “Behavior
Evaluation and Support Team (BEST)” was formed to work in
collaboration with direct care staff to: develop individualized
plans for residents with dementia; assist staff to understand and
respond effectively to challenging dementia behaviors; and, as
appropriate, reduce the dose or prevent the usage of a psychotropic
medication. BEST team members include a social worker, nurse
leaders, and an assisted living manager.
Family members are also invited to participate. Outcomes of
BEST include reduction or minimized use of psychotropic medications
and increased support perceived by staff in working with challenging
resident behaviors.
Providence Mount St. Vincent (The Mount) was founded by the Sisters
of Providence in 1924 as “St. Vincent’s
Home for the Aged” and has been continuously in operation as a
residence for older adults since then.
Its mission is to provide loving, compassionate, respectful
care. Human dignity, relationships, community, individual rights and
self-direction are of utmost importance. The Mount is part of the
Providence Health System, Providence Senior and Community Services
division.
Winner of the Environment &
Design Award
College
of Architecture/Texas A&M University & Arkitex Studio, Inc. (Susan Rodiek) –
“Access to Nature” –
This
public/private collaborative developed a three-part
DVD
educational program, “Access to Nature,” based on research conducted at 68
assisted living communities across the U.S.
The purpose of the DVDs is to enhance assisted living residents’
access to nature and the outdoors, leading to potential health benefits.
Features from the study that encourage outdoor usage were identified and
used to develop the educational program. The series of three 30-minute DVDs
includes interviews with assisted living residents, providers, staff, and
experts, and presents design guidelines in a wide variety of case studies
and real-world examples, design sketches, diagrams, and 3-D animations.
Each
DVD
addresses a different aspect of outdoor access and design: “Access to
Nature for Older Adults”, “Improving Outdoor Access for Older Adults”, and
“Safe and Usable Outdoor Spaces for Older Adults”.
A
multidisciplinary group of architects, landscape architects, educational
psychologists, gerontologists, and assisted living advisors worked with
approximately 50 students and faculty members to develop the “Access to
Nature”
DVD
program and interactive website:
www.accesstonature.org. The
project was funded by the National Institute on Aging.
Dr. Susan
Rodiek, the project’s principal research investigator and education program
director, is a nationally registered architect with 20+ years of practice
experience. Her research is
focused on residential care environments for older adults.
Dr. Rodiek teaches architectural design studio at
Texas
A&M
University,
where she is the Ronald L. Skaggs Endowed Professor in Health Facilities
Design.
Winner of the Health Care Award
Geriatrics and Gerontology Education and Research Program/University of
Maryland, Baltimore (Reba Cornman) – “Medication Management in Assisted
Living” --
This
web-based training program on assisted living medication management and
safety is an excellent free resource for health professionals, staff and
families involved in managing medications. The training program includes a
video, power point presentations, and case studies. The training was
developed and is presented by a multidisciplinary panel comprised of the
project faculty, all of whom are leaders in the field of education and
advocacy in assisted living. The multidisciplinary perspectives
provide a detailed look at the responsibility and inter-operability of
healthcare professionals, staff, residents and families in carefully
planning, implementing, and monitoring medication management and
administration policies and practices. The program can be accessed through
the Geri-Ed Programs at the
University
of
Maryland
Baltimore
web site:
http://geri-ed.umaryland.edu.
The
principals of the multidisciplinary development and presentation team
include: Reba Cornman,
MSW,
Director, Geriatrics and Gerontology Education and Research
Program/University of Maryland, Baltimore (GGEAR); Nicole Brandt, PharmD,
University of Maryland School of Pharmacy; Barbara Resnick, PhD, CRNP,
University of Maryland School of Nursing; Jackie Pinkowitz, M Ed, Futurage,
Inc.; and Richard Stefanacci, DO, University of the Sciences in
Philadelphia. GGEAR was established
at the
University
of
Maryland,
Baltimore,
in 1987. In addition to its interprofessional research initiatives,
the Program fosters interprofessional learning, including student training
and health professional and caregiver education. The project was funded by
the Johns Hopkins Geriatric Education Center Consortium through its funding
from the U.S. Health Resources Services Administration.
Winner
of the Person-Centered Care Award
The
Homestead
at Maplewood/Volunteers of
America
(Ruth Staus) – “Culture Change in Assisted Living” --
This
project utilized nursing theory and evidence-based practices to change the
organizational culture at The Homestead at
Maplewood.
These changes were implemented to enhance the quality of life for The
Homestead’s residents, family members, and staff utilizing numerous culture
change interventions. These interventions include: (1) increasing
nursing-led meaningful daily activities; (2) implementing person-centered
care plans utilizing the “I” care plan format; and (3) providing access to
complementary and alternative therapies.
The project results show sustained improvements in resident
quality-of-life and family members’ perceptions of resident quality-of-life.
Volunteers of
America
is a national, nonprofit, faith-based organization dedicated to helping
those in need rebuild their lives and reach their full potential. The
organization was founded in 1896.
The
Homestead
at
Maplewood
in
St. Paul,
MN,
opened in 1995 and is located on a campus that includes a full continuum of
care.
The
“Culture Change in Assisted Living” project was directed by
Ruth
Staus,
DNP, RN, ANP-BC, an Assistant Professor in the
College
of
Nursing
and Health Sciences at
Metropolitan
State
University
in
St. Paul,
MN.
Dr. Staus is a practicing nurse practitioner with 25 years of clinical
experience. She and her students staff rotating foot care, blood pressure,
and medication review clinics for low-income elders residing in four local
HUD high-rise buildings. Besides organizational culture change, she is also
focused on community-based elder care, health promotion for frail elders,
increasing and improving geriatric education for healthcare providers, and
geriatric pharmacology.
Runner Up for the
Person-Centered Care Award
Horizon
House (Lauri Warfield-Larson) – “Supported Living: A New and Innovative
Approach for Residential Health Care”
--
Horizon
House, a continuing care retirement community, completed a large expansion
project in 2007. One hundred new independent apartments were added and the
nursing home and assisted living models of care were combined into a new and
innovative concept of care called “Supported Living.”
The “Supported Living” model of care embodies the philosophy of
person-centered care and 'aging in place' as it removes the transition
between levels of care that customarily occurs in traditional settings.
“Supported Living” is designed to meet the ongoing and changing social,
mental, spiritual and long term health care needs of its residents as they
age.
Horizon
House, located in
Seattle,
Washington,
is designed to provide a range of services and care for elders from
independent living to individualized, person-centered care in “Supported
Living.” Horizon House is a private, nonprofit corporation that was
established in 1961. The large expansion project it completed in 2007 nearly
doubled the size of its campus.
Horizon House is affiliated with the Pacific Northwest Conference United
Church of Christ, a community that welcomes all people of diverse faiths,
ethnic backgrounds and life orientations.
Winner of the Workforce Award
Gateway
Senior Living/Nye Senior Services (Amy
Fish)
– “Mission
Retention” --
“Mission Retention” was created by Gateway to address and improve
staff retention. A number of
new strategies were employed that included, among numerous other strategies:
implementing an “Are We Meeting Your Expectations” questionnaire that all
newly hired staff complete upon hire, and again at one month and three
months providing important information for management to address
proactively; forming an Employee Booster Committee comprised of
multidisciplinary staff that meets at least monthly to identify practices to
improve staff retention, plan ways to incorporate fun into work, and improve
upon operational practices; instituting the “Dish with Fish” informal
luncheon program with the administrator for all staff after completion of
their first 90 days; and incorporating a team-focused approach to the
interview process for new staff.
Gateway utilized resources and educational opportunities offered
through the Nebraska Health Care Association and Nebraska Assisted Living
Association for staff training and skills development.
After just two years of revamping the workforce strategies the
overall retention of staff has exceeded all expectations.
Gateway
Senior Living, opened in 1964, was the first retirement community in
Lincoln,
Nebraska.
It has 54 assisted living apartments.
Amy Fish,
who joined Gateway as administrator in 2007, is the immediate past president
of the Nebraska Assisted Living Association.
She has served as an administrator in the health care sector for over
22 years, leading both large and small communities through growth and
change.
Runner Up for the Workforce Award
Silverado
Senior Living (Frank Russo) – “Safety Star Program”
--
In 2007
Silverado launched a unique safety awards incentive program, “Safety Star,”
to boost morale, decrease turnover rates, and reduce workers’ compensation
claims and injury costs. All
Silverado staff are eligible for the program which allows them to earn
“points” that can be redeemed for prizes of their choosing.
Some examples of ways to earn points include having an injury-free
month and providing a suggestion about how a job could be done more safely.
The program recognizes a Safety Star of the Month for each assisted living
community, as well as a Safest Community of the Month and a Safest Community
of the Year. “Safety Star” has had immediate positive effects including an
increase in employee, family and resident satisfaction.
Silverado
Senior Living, founded in 1996, is a nationally recognized leader in
providing specialized care for those with memory impairments such as
Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s,(again, worry about the Parkinson’s) Lewy Body,
vascular and other related dementias. Silverado offers a full continuum of
services, providing care from earliest onset through end of life. Silverado
currently operates 20 communities in
Arizona,
California,
Texas
and
Utah.
Silverado also has a number of research affiliations with leaders in
the field of Alzheimer’s disease.
