Elmcrest newsletter winter2014 for issuu

Elm Crest Retirement Community

In This Issue:

Elm Crest Shines In Quality Ratings Finding the Level of Senior Living That’s Right For You Rehab at Elm Crest

Winter 2014

Elm Crest

Classic Senior Style

Elm Crest Shines In Star Rating System

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ach year Elm Crest is inspected by the Department of Inspections and Appeals as part of our licensure to operate our Health Care Center. In this inspection process, all areas, processes and practices of almost every department are subject to examination by state inspectors. The resulting report, which is available to the public, is very detailed and extensive.

In order to help potential residents, their families and caregivers compare Health Care Centers more easily, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) created a Five-Star Quality Rating System.

Based on the annual state inspection reports, CMS awards Health Care Centers one to five stars (one star being much below average and five stars being much above average) in three areas and an overall star rating for the community as a whole.

We are extremely proud to announce that CMS recently awarded Elm Crest a five-star rating in Quality Measures! The Quality Measure rating comes

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from examining 9 different physical and clinical areas related to Health Center residents – for example the prevalence of pressure sores or changes to a resident’s mobility. By continually measuring and monitoring these components of a health center, CMS is able to establish how well a specific health care provider is caring for residents’ physical and clinical needs.

In addition, CMS awarded Elm Crest an overall 4-star rating, an accomplishment that represents what we have known about for a long time - we provide great care to the residents!

Elm Crest is committed to providing the very best in care to the residents and these recent ratings recognize the efforts that every staff member makes.

We look forward to continuing that care in the New Year and thank you for all you do to make Elm Crest Retirement Community a great place to live!

Expanded Services at Elm Crest – Specialized Skin Care

t Elm Crest we continually look for ways to improve our care services and are therefore pleased to announce the latest addition to our capabilities – a team of Wound Care Specialists.

Elm Crest recognized the increased need for treating difficult skin conditions and treating those recovering from a surgical procedure or other difficult to heal area/wound. To make it more convenient for these residents to see a doctor our specialized team, comprised of a physician and team of nurses, will be on site weekly to care for residents.

Leading the team is Dr. Mark Johnson, from Mobile Wound Solutions. Dr. Johnson will assess and document the progress of skin related issues ranging from pressure sores and rashes to the most difficult cases involving wound vacs. This team of skin care and wound experts can even do

biopsies in the comfort of the residents’ rooms. To make follow-up care quick and easy to manage, the nursing staff at Elm Crest is able to accesses the most up-to-date information and treatment plans from a secure website.

This new on–site services and system is a great improvement when compared to coordinating a trip to doctor’s office or hospital which often made it difficult to treat a number of conditions, particularly those that require continual monitoring.

Creating this special care team is just one more way of showing how dedicated Elm Crest is to the health and well-being of the residents. If you have any questions about our program or other services please feel free to call Sara Poepsel Miller at 712-755-5174.

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Let Elm Crest Rehabilitation Help Get You Home!

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lm Crest is breaking the mold when it comes to traditional Health Care Services. You may already know about our Independent and Assisted Living apartments and our specially designed Sondergard Memory Care unit, but did you know Elm Crest is a great place to come for Short-Term Rehabilitative Care? Elm Crest Retirement Community houses a fullservice Therapy Department with physical, occupational and speech therapists working with individuals to get them healthy and back home as quickly as possible.

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individually. We have found that a solid relationship between resident and therapists can prove to be very beneficial in the recovery process.

Even if you are not a resident of Elm Crest you can still access our experienced therapy team by becoming part of our “out-patient therapy program.”

Why choose Elm Crest over a hospital? Elm Crest can offer a more home-like and relaxed atmosphere compared to the hustle and bustle of a traditional hospital. At Elm Crest residents can also choose from a variety of social and As the baby entertainment boomer options. In population the event grows and long-term care remains more is needed no active they are need to worry, receiving more the transition joint at Elm Crest is replacement seamless. If that call for you like, you may eventually choose rehab services. As a result, to make Elm Crest your permanent rehabilitative therapy has become a home with an easy move to Assisted growing segment of Elm Crest’s Living or an Independent Living services. apartment that is literally just down The therapists at Elm Crest are highly the hall. trained with state-of-the art If you have surgery in your future and equipment available on site to help require a rehabilitative stay give Elm residents progress quickly toward Crest a call. We’re committed to goals set by the resident, therapist and physicians. Our therapists get to getting you home faster and healthier! know each resident and their needs

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Find Senior Living

ith the myriad of choices in health care services offered today, choosing the correct level of care for you or your loved one can be a daunting job. Home health care, independent living, assisted living, long-term care, skilled care- what do all these mean and which one is right for you?

Often, the realization that you or your loved one needs additional help comes after a traumatic eventit might be a fall that resulted in a fracture, a stroke, or a diagnosis of a dementia-related disease like Alzheimer’s. Sometimes the realization comes slowly, maybe you are having trouble keeping up the house or carrying out your daily living activities. In either case, there are options available to you.

The first option to explore is the one that is less likely to result in a dramatic lifestyle change, hiring a company to provide home health care to you. These companies come into your home on a scheduled basis to help with personal care and light housekeeping duties. You pay for these services by the hour and they may be covered by Medicare or long term health care insurance, depending on individual circumstances. However, there are limitations to these services and if an individual requires more constant care or medical services, or the client’s health and safety is at risk when they are alone, it is time to look at other options.

For the individual or couple who manages well at home or needs minimal assistance, an Independent Living Apartment may just be the answer. At Elm Crest residents can choose between renting an independent living apartment on a monthly basis or “Buy-in” to an independent living apartment. For the buy-in option, residents pay an accommodation fee and a monthly maintenance fee - but at the end of

occupancy will receive 90% of their accommodation fee back. This option often proves to be a sound financial move verses a rental and is a new feature that Elm Crest offers for their remodeled one and two-bedroom apartments.

When more help with the activities of daily living are needed, an Assisted Living apartment could be the best option to ensure the health and safety of a loved one while maintaining privacy and independence. At an Assisted Living community, help with personal needs such as bathing and medication administration is offered in a private apartment. At Elm Crest Retirement Community, our nursing staff is there to help when needed while our residents maintain the level of independence they desire. In addition, our assisted living residents enjoy three meals a day along with snacks, as well as a variety of

That’s Right For You activities to keep them as busy and active as they wish.

The highest level of care offered at retirement communities is the Health Care Center, also known as long-term care, or ICF. This is the level of care most people think of when they hear “nursing home.� Even at this level, the care provided can vary greatly, depending on the needs of the individual. In most cases help is provided by nursing staff for activities such as bathing, dressing and dining.

However, at Elm Crest, our goal is to help residents achieve and maintain their highest level of mobility and functioning for as long as possible. Therapy as well as specialized equipment is provided to help residents continue to enjoy the daily activities they have become accustomed to.

When Rehabilitative Care is needed retirement communities are a great option compared to hospitals. At Elm Crest, a more home-like environment and high-quality therapists housed on campus provide state-of-art physical, occupational and speech therapy to residents after an accident, joint replacement or recuperation from other medical conditions. Our therapists get to know each

resident very well, as a result, they are able to monitor and provide individualized care that may be difficult for rotating or occasional staff. The rehabto-home rate at Elm Crest is high and something we are very proud of.

Whether you or a loved one are just beginning to think of senior housing options or you need to make a decision quickly, it pays to know what is available and appropriate for your needs. The more informed you are about your choices, the easier the transition to a new home will be. And that is something you can feel good about. For more information please call Sara at 712-755-5174 or visit our web site at www.ElmCrest.net

Elm Crest

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New Serenity Suite Offers Comfort At Time of Need

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Serenity Suite Amenities

ecently Elm Crest created a new area in the community called the Serenity Suite.

The purpose of this suite is to offer a place of comfort and privacy for families and residents who are in hospice or near end of life.

The Serenity Suite includes a number of added amenities, a state-of-the-art bed complete with enhanced range of motion and a Tempurpedic memory foam mattress. The room also offers two specially designed large arm chairs The new Serenity Suite is that pull out to single beds, a drawing rave reviews from large wardrobe for resident family and staff, as well as and family belongings and a outside healthcare professionals in the Shelby County table and chairs where family can gather. A flat-screen area. Offering this type of Suite and service has been a television is provided and a snack cart with goal of Elm Crest for some time. “Being able to provide refreshments is brought in and replenished for as long privacy, dignity and peace during the final days of one’s as needed. Families are encouraged to make themselves life is a gift of love to our residents and families,” says at home and come and go as they please. The suite is Arleatta Bartelson, Elm Crest’s ideally located at the end of a ot long ago Elm Crest had a resiDirector of Nursing. “Our residents hallway and offers easy access, dent whose health was declining, become like family to us, and we additional privacy and minimal couldn’t think of a better way to and it eventually became apparent she noise disruptions. honor them while providing the was nearing the end of her life. She, her The Response high quality of care they experience family and the care team concluded here at Elm Crest.”

The response to the Serenity Suite that a move to the Serenity Suite was best. Within the hour she was moved to has been overwhelming. Nearly Making the Move her new suite, and all of her belongings every family who has stayed in the When a family, resident and care suite has had a positive experience were carefully relocated. To help her team (that often includes a hospice and wanted donate something to family feel more comfortable–and nurse and the Director of nursing) Elm Crest. enable them to stay with her as long as decide to move a resident to the The first family to use the suite they liked–fresh linens were brought in Serenity Suite, the Elm Crest team donated a gorgeous bouquet of red for the pull-out guest beds and the steps in to make the move quickly roses (their mother’s favorite) to refrigerator stocked and snack cart and with the least amount of remain in the room. The next disruption. The resident’s brought in. This spacious suite and set family donated a clock that had belongings are moved to the suite, a of services afforded the family the belonged to their loved one, as a floral wreath is placed on the door privacy and comfort to be with their token of their appreciation for the to offer a comforting welcome and loved one constantly and without wonderful care their mother had the staff is notified that the Serenity interruption during this trying time. received at Elm Crest.

Suite is in use. During and after the Going through this experience can move, the care team is in continuous contact with the family, assessing needs and be very difficult, but now, at Elm Crest’s Serenity Suite, it can be done with the dignity and respect we all providing any items and services requested. deserve.

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Nutritional Needs Change as We Age

he aging process has many effects on the body and specifically the way it processes food and requires nutrition. As we age energy needs decrease leading to a lower calorie requirement. This can often lead to gradual weight gain over time. As the body continues to mature the proportion of lean body mass, made up of muscle, bone, and water, decreases. As a result the proportion of fat in the body increases. The stomach and intestines also change the way in which they process food. The production of acid and enzymes decrease leading to decreased absorption of nutrients, especially vitamin D, vitamin B12, and calcium. A particularly vital organ, the liver, also changes over time, which can result in decreased absorption of medications and supplements.

Interestingly, many of our senses begin to change and often decline, such as, taste, smell, texture recognition and analysis and temperature sensitivity. These changes translate to changes in the brain where the receptors that indicate hunger, satiety and thirst are weakened.

Studies show that a balanced diet providing adequate nutrition as well as physical activity are vital for good health. It is therefore important that seniors, and care givers alike, take special note of

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changes in desire to eat, diet needs and energy levels.

At Elm Crest one of the key benefits our residents experience is a consistently balanced diet through a wide variety of dining choices. Because we specialize in senior health care, and are familiar with many traditional issues that can stem from poor nutrition, our dining services program is continually monitored and updated to meet the needs of residents. We often create individual dining programs to address particular nutritional requirement for residents for short term needs, or programs to help resident on an ongoing or permanent basis.

onset of certain diseases.

By continually monitoring the nutrition of residents and taking steps to manage health issues related to nutrition, we are often able to help residents achieve and maintain a better level of health and a more enjoyable lifestyle. And, in fact, some studies show good nutrition can reduce the

If you have any questions about our nutritional programs or dining services please feel free to contact Elm Crest Dietician Jenna Schaben at 712-755-5174.

“For Attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run their fingers through it once a day.

Crest a little brighter this year through your donations. Because of your generous gifts, you made our Sunny View and Sondergaard Memory Care more comfortable (gifts of recliner chairs), our Serenity Suite more beautiful (gifts of flowers and furniture), activities more fun (gifts of live flowers), and our days a lot more sweeter (ice cream machine in din-

For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.

ing room.) These are just a few of the ways our

People, more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms.

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself and the other for helping others.” ― Sam Levenson

Thank you to all of our donors who made Elm

donors brightened our lives this year at Elm Crest

Donation form

Retirement Community. Thank you from all of us!

Name________________________________ Address______________________________ City__________________State/Zip________ Phone________________________________ Mail To: Elm Crest Retirement Community 2104 12th Street Harlan, IA. 51537 Phone: 712-755-5174

Amount of Donation:

$

Elm Crest Retirement Community is owned and operated by American Baptist Homes of the Midwest, a not-for-profit provider of senior housing and healthcare since 1930.

Current resident or

Elm Crest Retirement Community 2104 12th Street Harlan IA, 51537 712-755-5174 www.abhomes.net

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