St. Francis Home rated among top nursing homes |
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Written by MARY ANN KROMER, Tiffin Advertiser Tribune
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Tuesday, 13 April 2010 00:00 |
TIFFIN—St. Francis Home, on the campus of the Sisters of St. Francis of Tiffin, was rated in the top 6.5 percent of Ohio’s 955 nursing homes in a 2009 residential satisfaction survey.
Administrator Mary Palmer-Young said she was pleased to know residents are satisfied with their care as reported in survey results released last month by the Ohio Department of Aging.
She said 29 residents were chosen at random to be questioned for the survey. That represents about 20 percent of the home’s population. Each person was interviewed privately and the responses remained confidential until the report was released Feb. 9. The report is to be posted online at the Web site of the Long Term Care Consumer Guide, www.ltcohio.org.
Residents first were surveyed in 2007 and a family satisfaction survey was conducted in 2008, Ms. Palmer-Young said.
“The two big questions they asked: ‘Overall, do you like living here?’ and ‘Would you recommend this place to a family member or friend?’ ” said Jane Marie Cook, director of nursing at St. Francis.
Recently, the home had 125 residents in nursing care and 19 in assisted living. Ms. Palmer-Young said the home employs 278 people.
A recent addition at St. Francis is “person-centered dining.” Instead of food trays delivered at the same time, the nutrition staff sets up steam tables on each floor. Residents can choose from a variety of hot foods or order from a menu. They can eat in the floor’s dining area or take meals back to their rooms.
“They can keep the food hot or cold. It’s served right there,” Ms. Cook said. “There’s a chef or dietary person there, so the resident can go up, or the staff can put in an order for a resident.”
Having the Angel Academy pre-school in the same building allows for intergenerational programs and activities. It also allows employees to stop in to see their own children during the day.
Ms. Palmer-Young’s mother lives at St. Francis and her son attends Angel Academy. She said interaction with the elderly has made a positive impact on the boy.
“When he’s out at Wal-Mart and sees people with disabilities, he sees them as people,” Ms. Palmer-Young said.
“A lot of the residents know the children, and the children know the residents. They go through at least once a day,” Ms. Cook added.
Ms. Palmer-Young said one reason St. Francis Home is different is the commitment to a mission statement outlining five supporting values and behaviors expected of staff, physicians, vendors and volunteers.
“We serve each other, we communicate with each other, we support each other,” she said. “It’s a teamwork thing. We’ve been concentrating on that for a year. Those values came from our staff and our residents.”
“I think it truly is a ministry ... I believe, for everybody that works here, it is a ministry, or it will be as they get more and more attuned to serving our people,” Ms. Cook added.
Ms. Palmer-Young said the most important asset for a St. Francis employee is “heart.” Everything else can be taught.
“All of us are important, and we’re here to serve people that literally give up everything. The least we can do is serve them with dignity, pride and passion,” Ms. Palmer-Young said.
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Republished with permission of the Tiffin Advertiser Tribune.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 13 April 2010 00:00 |
