WELCOME 2013
With a smile,
A spirit of giving,
A sense of humanity,
& A pledge to spread peace and happiness!
GOOD SAMARITAN WISHES YOU A HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR!
December 31, 2012
December 27, 2012
Upcoming Event: JOB FAIR
Good Samaritan will be hosting a JOB FAIR at our facility on Friday, January 4, 2013. We are looking to hire qualified RNs, LPNs, and STNAs. Please stop by our facility any time between 11:00 am - 3:00 pm to fill out an application and to meet with a Human Resources representative. We hope to see you there!
The job fair will be held at our main location, 32900 Detroit Road, Avon Ohio 44011. For additional information, please call Beth McCarthy (HR Manager) at 440-937-6201.
December 24, 2012
The role of activities
Let me first start out by introducing the Activity Team. First, we have Marie Osborne. She has been with Good Samaritan since 2005. She is an integral part of the team and to the residents. Our residents know that Marie can get things done. When asked why Marie became an activity professional she replied, " I do it to help people, because it makes me feel good to lend a helping hand." In her free time Marie likes to spend time with her family. She has 3 brothers and 2 sisters.
Next on the activity lineup is Sherry Mayer. Sherry is new to the Good Samaritan Team, starting on November 20th, 2012. Since starting she has proved herself to be a great asset. She has pumped up the Good Samaritan drama club to new heights. In fact, they will be performing their play at Manor Care, North Olmsted sometime this coming February. More details to follow. For all your creative needs, please see Sherry Mayer!!
Personally, Sherry has 2 grown children. The oldest girl joined the Air Force after 9/11. Sherry is a beaming proud military Mom! She has 2 grandchildren; Claire who is 6. She is already achieving a 4.0!! Eric is just 8 months old and aspiring to be a photographer. In her free time, she enjoys going to the MetroParks and Thrift Store Shopping.
Also new to the Good Samaritan Activity Team is Pat Klempsay. Pat brings with her plenty of experience and a fantastic resume. When asked what she enjoys the most about being an activity assistant, she said she loves the people she serves. Pat, has taken a particular interest in working with our Alzheimer's and dementia unit.
On a personal note, Pat has 3 kids, 6 grandchildren, and two sisters. When she is not here, making our residents happy, she is spending time with her family and making them happy.
That's a little bit about us, I hope you stay tuned for next months blog!! We sincerely hope that you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
Next on the activity lineup is Sherry Mayer. Sherry is new to the Good Samaritan Team, starting on November 20th, 2012. Since starting she has proved herself to be a great asset. She has pumped up the Good Samaritan drama club to new heights. In fact, they will be performing their play at Manor Care, North Olmsted sometime this coming February. More details to follow. For all your creative needs, please see Sherry Mayer!!
Personally, Sherry has 2 grown children. The oldest girl joined the Air Force after 9/11. Sherry is a beaming proud military Mom! She has 2 grandchildren; Claire who is 6. She is already achieving a 4.0!! Eric is just 8 months old and aspiring to be a photographer. In her free time, she enjoys going to the MetroParks and Thrift Store Shopping.
Also new to the Good Samaritan Activity Team is Pat Klempsay. Pat brings with her plenty of experience and a fantastic resume. When asked what she enjoys the most about being an activity assistant, she said she loves the people she serves. Pat, has taken a particular interest in working with our Alzheimer's and dementia unit.
On a personal note, Pat has 3 kids, 6 grandchildren, and two sisters. When she is not here, making our residents happy, she is spending time with her family and making them happy.
That's a little bit about us, I hope you stay tuned for next months blog!! We sincerely hope that you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
December 21, 2012
Making the admission process a smooth transition
Choosing the right nursing home is a very important and at times a difficult decision. Here at Good Samaritan we want to make the process as easy as possible for the individual as well as the family. It starts by getting to know the person and how we can meet their healthcare needs. What are the expectations, are they looking to make this a temporary situation needing to receive therapy to become stronger in order to return home or more of a permanent situation. Getting to know someone's wants and wishes is very important to us. We want to make our home feel like their home.
We encourage our resident's to bring personal belongings such as photo albums, pictures to hang on the wall, a special chair they liked to sit in at home or a blanket or afghan to decorate their bed. Anything that will help create a home-like environment. We do recommend labeling all personal items including any clothing as well.
Our staff takes pride in getting to know the residents, which helps with the transition too. The Activities Director, Angie Kaminski likes to know what things they like to do such as hobbies, religious beliefs, sporting interests they might have, music, movies and books to name a few. Any information we can get will help make the resident feel more comfortable. Many of our residents are very involved in activities throughout the facility. We have a resident council committee here, which meets monthly. It gives the residents a chance to discuss such things as planning outings, meals and activities they would like to have. We strongly encourage the residents to participate in activities as often as they can.
We always encourage anyone that is interested to please schedule a tour of our facility. Please call Amie Betz in Admssions at 440-371-8167. You will see that at Good Samaritan we are like one big family.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year-Amie Betz-Admissions
December 11, 2012
Our Employees & Residents
From an HR perspective, the relationship between our residents and employees at Good Samaritan is something that would be very difficult to go unnoticed. In fact, I am even going to say the relationship is dependant. Meaning, the two sides depend on one another for support, aid, sustenance, etc. The dependant relationship is something that makes Good Samaritan one of a kind - a nursing home unlike other facilities in Northeast Ohio.
At Good Samaritan, our employees find satisfaction throughout their workday from interacting and helping our residents. RNs, LPNs, STNAs, Social Workers, kitchen staff, activities professionals, and other managers working in a nursing home typically join the field with a passion to make a difference in the lives of others. Here at Good Sam, its obvious to anyone who visits that our employees have joined the health care field for that reason.
A prime example of this would be the giving tree that stands tall in our front lobby as you walk through the front doors. Our (fabulous) Activities Director, Angie, set up the tree with ornaments created by our residents. Each resident decorated an ornament with their name and a hand crafted design. Employees, family members, and visitors are invited to take an ornament from the tree and shop for a resident. At our holiday party on December 22, we will deliver the gifts to our residents. The giving tree is a unique opportunity for our employees to show their support to our residents. After our holiday party, I will post pictures of our residents with their presents from the giving tree. If you are interested in taking an ornament from the tree and shopping for a resident, please stop by Good Samaritan to choose your ornament. Pictures to follow after the holiday party... check back after 12/22!
While the employees have plenty of opportunities to show their support to our residents, the residents also have ways to show their appreciation to our employees. Tickets For Teamwork is a program that our Administrator has developed to recognize our employees for their hard work and dedication to Good Samaritan. When a resident brings forward a compliment about one of our employees, that employee is given a ticket which enters them into the weekly drawing. We draw two tickets each week and the winners receive free movie tickets.
In conclusion, as we continue to move forward as an organization, I look forward to watching the ongoing working relationships grow and prosper at Good Samaritan. Our team of employees AND our residents make Good Samaritan one of the best places to work AND one of the best places to live.
Happy Holidays, Beth McCarthy (Human Resources Manager)
At Good Samaritan, our employees find satisfaction throughout their workday from interacting and helping our residents. RNs, LPNs, STNAs, Social Workers, kitchen staff, activities professionals, and other managers working in a nursing home typically join the field with a passion to make a difference in the lives of others. Here at Good Sam, its obvious to anyone who visits that our employees have joined the health care field for that reason.
A prime example of this would be the giving tree that stands tall in our front lobby as you walk through the front doors. Our (fabulous) Activities Director, Angie, set up the tree with ornaments created by our residents. Each resident decorated an ornament with their name and a hand crafted design. Employees, family members, and visitors are invited to take an ornament from the tree and shop for a resident. At our holiday party on December 22, we will deliver the gifts to our residents. The giving tree is a unique opportunity for our employees to show their support to our residents. After our holiday party, I will post pictures of our residents with their presents from the giving tree. If you are interested in taking an ornament from the tree and shopping for a resident, please stop by Good Samaritan to choose your ornament. Pictures to follow after the holiday party... check back after 12/22!
While the employees have plenty of opportunities to show their support to our residents, the residents also have ways to show their appreciation to our employees. Tickets For Teamwork is a program that our Administrator has developed to recognize our employees for their hard work and dedication to Good Samaritan. When a resident brings forward a compliment about one of our employees, that employee is given a ticket which enters them into the weekly drawing. We draw two tickets each week and the winners receive free movie tickets.
In conclusion, as we continue to move forward as an organization, I look forward to watching the ongoing working relationships grow and prosper at Good Samaritan. Our team of employees AND our residents make Good Samaritan one of the best places to work AND one of the best places to live.
Happy Holidays, Beth McCarthy (Human Resources Manager)
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| The Giving Tree at Good Sam |
December 4, 2012
Welcome
Welcome to the Good Samaritan blog.
As we approach the new year, I'm thinking about the changes we've seen over the years and the terrific speed and frequency with which change continues. Long-term care will face new challenges in the year to come but the opportunity to be creative and continue resident centered approaches remains at the center of our future. Here's a little preview of topics I plan to talk more about in future posts.
Preventing avoidable re-hospitalizations has been in the news this year as hospitals face increasing penalties for failed care transitions. A quick Google search will hook you up with lots of news and analysis about the impact to hospitals and role long-term care plays in curing this budget buster. As care-givers, Good Samaritan invested several years ago in an electronic data collection and assessment tool called COMs Daylight (you can find out more about this company and their product at www.comsllc.com). Through frequent, focused assessment our nurses use the system to help identify changes early and communicate with doctors prior to an issue being critical enough to warrant a trip to the hospital. Generally speaking, that's what we mean by avoidable. One of the key outcomes the healthcare system is measuring is returns to the hospital less than 30 days after a hospital discharge. The average is 25%. At Good Samaritan we've managed to keep that percentage below 15% for much of the year and I'm particularly proud to report that we had no under 30 day returns to the hospital in November. As we continue to focus on that number, we are looking at other opportunities to enhance our performance and outcomes. In 2013 we will expand the use of data and early identification though the use of the Interact II process (see their website www.interact2.net). We will also be working with our residents are their decision makers to have early conversations about their care goals for management of chronic illnesses and symptoms.
Something else to look for in 2013 is coordination of healthcare. Ohio has applied to the federal government to coordinate care for "dual eligibles." A dual eligible person is participating in both Medicaid and Medicare. Dual eligible persons are sicker and use the healthcare system more frequently. Under the plan, a dual eligible person will be covered by a managed care program (think managed Medicare) which, as the plan projects, will help keep costs under control through reducing hospitalizations and unnecessary treatment (due to better coordination). If accepted, the program will be piloted in counties surrounding Ohio's major metropolitan areas and for us here in Lorain county, this means that all dual eligible persons will be covered by either Buckeye, CareSource or United.
-Kerry Bohac, Administrator
As we approach the new year, I'm thinking about the changes we've seen over the years and the terrific speed and frequency with which change continues. Long-term care will face new challenges in the year to come but the opportunity to be creative and continue resident centered approaches remains at the center of our future. Here's a little preview of topics I plan to talk more about in future posts.
Preventing avoidable re-hospitalizations has been in the news this year as hospitals face increasing penalties for failed care transitions. A quick Google search will hook you up with lots of news and analysis about the impact to hospitals and role long-term care plays in curing this budget buster. As care-givers, Good Samaritan invested several years ago in an electronic data collection and assessment tool called COMs Daylight (you can find out more about this company and their product at www.comsllc.com). Through frequent, focused assessment our nurses use the system to help identify changes early and communicate with doctors prior to an issue being critical enough to warrant a trip to the hospital. Generally speaking, that's what we mean by avoidable. One of the key outcomes the healthcare system is measuring is returns to the hospital less than 30 days after a hospital discharge. The average is 25%. At Good Samaritan we've managed to keep that percentage below 15% for much of the year and I'm particularly proud to report that we had no under 30 day returns to the hospital in November. As we continue to focus on that number, we are looking at other opportunities to enhance our performance and outcomes. In 2013 we will expand the use of data and early identification though the use of the Interact II process (see their website www.interact2.net). We will also be working with our residents are their decision makers to have early conversations about their care goals for management of chronic illnesses and symptoms.
Something else to look for in 2013 is coordination of healthcare. Ohio has applied to the federal government to coordinate care for "dual eligibles." A dual eligible person is participating in both Medicaid and Medicare. Dual eligible persons are sicker and use the healthcare system more frequently. Under the plan, a dual eligible person will be covered by a managed care program (think managed Medicare) which, as the plan projects, will help keep costs under control through reducing hospitalizations and unnecessary treatment (due to better coordination). If accepted, the program will be piloted in counties surrounding Ohio's major metropolitan areas and for us here in Lorain county, this means that all dual eligible persons will be covered by either Buckeye, CareSource or United.
-Kerry Bohac, Administrator
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