5-Star Hotel Status

As a part of our attempts to create a skilled nursing care facility that is unlike the stereotypical views that most people associate with nursing homes, we have integrated into our business plan ideas that make upscale hotels popular such as our in-house Concierge. This relatively new position that Upland Rehab created this past summer has proven quite successful. Our concierge is in charge of the general well-being of each patient in our rehabilitation facility, making sure they have everything they need outside of their medical and therapy care. While patients are not involved in therapy or wound care, we want them to have more to do than simply sit in bed and watch television. While there are many things to do here including activities, visiting the patio and garden, and taking advantage of our game room, patients are often tired after therapy and choose to do restful activities that allow them to remain in their rooms.

The concierge is there for patients when they need something that a busy nurse or physical therapist cannot give. Often times that simply means having a 20-minute chat about their lives, their past, their interests, and explanations of what they hope to be able to continue doing after they recover and go home. During these conversations, the concierge learns about their hobbies and interests, and is able to provide patients with books and magazines about fishing, sports cars, celebrity gossip, travel, or whatever else may strike a patient’s fancy, The concierge is also able to provide patients with their favorite music to listen to while they rest or to take with them in the form of CD or MP3 players while they receive dialysis which can often taks hours to complete.

In addition, the concierge is able to advocate for the patient, relating information, questions, and preferences to other departments such as dietary, therapy, and others. For example, if a patient feels they receive too much dairy, the concierge can make sure that replacements are given at lunch and dinner. This go-between makes the nurse’s job much easier so they can focus on patient care while also allowing patient’s less vital needs to be met quickly. By relating to patients on a deeper level, we are better able to meet their needs and cater our care to their personality and preferences. The concierge will speak to occupational therapy, letting them know that a particular patient loves to cook or to make quilts and the therapists are able to incorporate these fun and familiar activities into the patient’s therapy.

The concierge is like a magic genie, able to fulfill the wishes of each patient. During Halloween, a patient really wanted to watch some scary movies so the concierge used a portable DVD player, purchased some classic horror films, and gave the patient a fun and scary Halloween. When a patient discussed her love of Italian cooking, the concierge gathered all the necessary ingredients so she could make a delicious meal during her therapy which was then passed out to other patients to enjoy. When a patient was feeling down, wishing he could go home and be with family but knowing that he needed to complete therapy in order to be in tip-top shape, the concierge was able to give him the listening ear he needed and provide him with puzzle books, art projects, books, magazines and more that made his stay more enjoyable and filled his free time with so many fun options that he did not have time to ruminate over his homesickness.

Though these things may sound trivial, they are an important part of our mission to make sure our patients and residents are strong in mind, body, and soul. It is so much easier to heal and find the motivation to improve when we are content. We hope that the concierge service provides patients with the extra care and attention they need to make the most of their rehabilitation process.

Let’s Talk About Innovation

The purpose of this blog is to highlight what makes Upland Rehabilitation and Care Center special, what sets us apart from other skilled nursing facilities, and how those differences make happy, healthy residents. As our slogan – Passion, Innovation, Care – suggests, we enjoy what we do while encouraging an up-to-date, innovative approach to care that challenges the norms surrounding nursing homes. 

By innovation we mean, not only our creative approach to physical therapy which I addressed in a blog post from earlier this month, but the way in which we treat our residents and the services we offer them. In the long-term care wings of the facility we offer daily activities which involve an array of fun ranging from musical guests to church services to the traditional bingo and more. There is a constant stream of magazines, newspapers, and books to keep the avid readers interested. There are televisions for each patient full of fun cable programs such as cooking, soap operas, and comedies for patients who don’t want to miss their favorite shows. There’s a beautiful garden, a covered patio for socializing, a large bird cage full of adorable finches, coffee carts that roll up and down the halls throughout the day with coffee, hot chocolate, tea, soup, and snacks. Residents are able to help in the laundry rooms if they prefer to do their own laundry which is a practical form of physical therapy that allows residents to feel self-efficient and in control of the normal aspects of their daily lives. Residents are often a part of a club or group, whether for volunteer purposes or simply social such as knitting or card playing, making each day something to look forward to. An active day full of activities and goals is so necessary in the life of every individual and we make sure that our residents have a variety of things to do.

Our innovation also reaches our nursing staff. With more CNAs working per shift than the standard skilled nursing facility we make sure that patient needs are met, especially on our short-term rehabilitation wing where residents are recovering from surgery, stroke, illness, or some other serious malady and need help doing even simple things like visiting the restroom. When a call light is pushed, we have a 2-minute policy that requires that either a nurse, CNA, or other staff member visit the room and figure out how they can help. We know that an under-staffed facility makes it difficult to meet patient needs and we pride ourselves on our busy nursing stations and hallways full of helpful and capable staff. In addition, our staff communicates by radio. Small headphones in every ear and microphones attached to the front of every scrub are used to keep our staff in constant communication with one another, making collaboration so much easier. If a CNA is busy with another patient, they can radio for help and make sure that no one is left without the help they need for long. If a nurse needs an extra hand moving a patient, they can radio to every other staff member and someone will be in to help them shortly. This creates efficiency and teamwork, both of which maintain a happy nurses station and happy residents. 

Recently, a concierge service has been created to specifically meet the emotional needs of each patient. The concierge gets to know residents on a personal level, makes their stay as comfortable as possible, offers entertainment, helps to procure things they may need or miss from home, and encourages them to pursue their therapy with everything they’ve got in order to achieve the greatest benefits from our therapy staff. The concierge often prints personal pictures that brighten the rooms of each residents, offers music of the residents choosing because music is healing for the soul, organizes opportunities for residents to get together and enjoy a game or tea party or social hour, and much much more. The concierge service is welcomed by residents because it is not associated with anything medical and requires nothing more from them than a friendly conversation about books, music, family, and life. 

It’s important to remember that innovation implies a constant pursuance of a better solution that meets new requirements and needs. In order to achieve this, our creative staff have daily and weekly meetings where they discuss ways to improve every aspect of the organization. With this innovative mindset leading the way, our facility is sure to remain a wonderful place for healing and care.