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by Melanie Jongsma, Director of Communications
“Visionary.” “Cutting-edge.” “Technologically savvy.” These are not usually the first phrases used when someone is describing a senior living community. More often, the people we serve want to be assured of tradition, familiarity, and community.
But Providence Life Services believes that visionary technology and traditional community do not have to be an either/or choice. Instead, we are using technology to enhance community.
For example, all of our locations — retirement living, assisted living, and skilled nursing — have a Facebook page. Staff at each location post news and photos that give people a sense of what life is like at that community. Birthday parties, Wii tournaments, chapel services, visits from local legislators — all these and more are highlighted.
Families are loving it.
“Wow!! This site is great,” wrote one family member on the Royal Park Place Facebook page. “Now I can talk to my father-in-law about the pictures we have seen, since we live in Florida and have not been [to his retirement community] yet.”
A young family in San Antonio, Texas, has used the Village Woods Facebook page to keep in touch with their grandmother, Helen. Via Facebook they have shared photos of their involvement in a 5K race to raise money for the American Lung Association, announced the upcoming arrival of Helen’s 100th grandchild, and posted photos of their three dogs. Village Woods staff print the family’s photos and announcements and deliver them to Helen, who loves being connected across the country this way.
Families are also using Facebook to express appreciation for the Providence staff who faithfully care for the residents. During National Nurses Week, our pages were filled with comments like this one from a Holland Home family member:
“My mom lives on the second floor. Any time she has needed more care, the nurses at Holland Home have been so wonderful…!!!! Everyone there is so nice…and it is so comforting to know that my mom is in such a caring place. She just loves it there. And I want to say Thank You all for what you do. It is so important, and it doesn’t go unnoticed.”
Providence is even beginning to attract the attention of other senior living experts who want to understand the thinking behind our use of Facebook and other social media. Debra Sheridan, President of IVY Marketing, a consulting firm that specializes in the senior living industry, posted this article about Providence several weeks ago. And our participation in a “Social Media Insights” panel gave us an opportunity to help other retirement communities who are unsure about how to use tools like Facebook, blogging, Twitter, and YouTube.
Want to find us on Facebook? The links to all of our communities are included below. We hope you’ll “like” our pages, and interact with the information and photos we post. After all, that kind of interaction is what real community is all about!
In fact, if you have a favorite Providence community, forward its Facebook link to all your friends, and see which community can attract the most “likes”!
Find us on Facebook:
Providence Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center
• of Downers Grove
• of Palos Heights
• of South Holland
• of Zeeland
Providence Life Services (corporate office)
by Melanie Jongsma, Director of Communications
Rudy Gebner is ready to fly again after rehab at Providence of Downers Grove.
Things are looking up for Rudy Gebner. He recently completed a regimen of therapy at Providence Healthcare & Rehabilitation of Downers Grove. Now he’s looking forward to flying again.
Rudy is president of the Woodland Aero Modelers club, an AMA-chartered club that was founded in 1936 for model airplane hobbyists. The group meets several times a month, to conduct business, make plans, and fly their planes — indoors during poor weather and outdoors whenever possible. “If you’ve been to our fly field,” says Rudy, “you know how beautiful it is out there. It’s wonderful.”
Rudy’s wings had been somewhat clipped this year, due to health problems. That’s why he turned to Providence. When he broke his leg in a fall, he took advantage of our Marianjoy rehabilitation services to restore his strength and mobility. He chose Providence because he had been with us before and was impressed with the caring atmosphere and the effective therapy.
The rigorous workouts he received during his time with us have strengthened Rudy enough to give him hope of flying again. In fact, Rudy is planning to attend his club’s 32nd annual Open House and Model Air Show, this Sunday, August 30. You can hear the eagerness in his voice when he begins talking about it.
The event is open to the public, so feel free to stop by! Directions can be found at their website.
At Providence we like to use the phrase “Under His Wings” to describe the kind of healing and hope we offer the people we serve. It’s exciting to hear stories about people like Rudy who find renewed strength under His wings — strength enough to take flight again themselves!
by Melanie Jongsma, Director of Communications
In addition to Retirement Living, Assisted Living, and at-home care, Providence Life Services offers Christian care and expert rehabilitation at our four healthcare and rehabilitation centers. This blog answers some common questions we hear from people who suddenly need skilled nursing care and/or rehab services. Feel free to print it out and put it in a file, so it’s handy when you need it!
1. What should I look for in a Skilled Nursing community?
First determine the needs of the patient. Most skilled nursing communities offer both long-term medical care and short-term rehab/therapy services. If the patient needs long-term care, you’ll want to be sure the surroundings are comfortable. It will probably never feel like “home,” but the staff, the food, and the recreation opportunities should all be high quality.
If the patient needs rehab, ask about the success rates in dealing with his or her particular diagnosis. Tour the building and the rehab area, using all your senses to make an assessment: Does it smell clean? Is there clutter in the rooms and work areas? Are the staff and other residents noisy? What sort of licensing or expertise do the caregivers have?
Whether you are considering long-term care or a short-term stay, you’ll want to consider such questions as, How appetizing is the food? In what ways do the staff interact with the residents? Do the other residents seem content and well-groomed? What kind of activities are posted on the monthly calendar? Is there a sample menu you can review? All these details will help you make a decision after you’ve done some research.
2. What is “Skilled Care”?
“Skilled care” requires the daily involvement of licensed nursing and/or rehabilitation staff. By contrast, help with basic “activities of daily living” (dressing, bathing, walking, etc.), is considered “custodial care” and is not covered under Medicare.
3. What is Medicare?
Medicare is a health insurance program for people age 65 and older, or for younger individuals with certain conditions or disabilities. Medicare assists with costs for hospital stays, skilled nursing care (up to 100 days), and Hospice care. Covered services include a semi-private room, therapy, meals, medications, medical supplies, skilled nursing care, medical social services, and dietary counseling. For the first 20 days, Medicare pays 100% of the covered charges. A daily co-insurance rate is applied on days 21–100. View the Medicare page of our website for more information.
4. What are the eligibility requirements if I want Medicare to cover the cost of my skilled nursing care?
- You must have Medicare Part A benefits.
- You must have spent three consecutive nights in an acute care hospital.
- Your physician must certify that you need daily skilled care.
- When you leave the hospital, you must be admitted to a Medicare-certified skilled nursing center within 30 days.
5. How long will Medicare coverage last?
The maximum benefit period is 100 days if the qualifying conditions are met. You will be notified when you no longer meet the requirements for skilled care benefits.
6. What is Medicaid?
Medicaid is a state-administered program designed to help people in need of financial assistance for medical care. In Illinois, the program is administered by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS). In Michigan, the program is administered by the Michigan Department of Community Health.
If you have other questions about Skilled Nursing, rehabilitation services, or Medicare, Providence can help! You can visit our website to find out more, or email your question to info@provlife.com.
by Melanie Jongsma, Director of Communications
You want to visit Mom, but you know it’s going to be difficult. Her memory isn’t good, and it’s difficult to carry on a conversation. Add to that the guilt you feel — about not wanting to go, about not going often enough, about letting her grow old — and your visit is bound to be an exercise in frustration.
Particularly in a skilled nursing setting, visiting can be difficult. But a little preparation can ease a lot of pressure. Here are some ideas:
- Ask a family member or pastor to join you. That way you won’t have to be solely responsible to keep the conversation going.
- Plan your visit during a scheduled activity that you and your loved one can participate in together.
- Use your time to help with some daily tasks, like opening mail or watering the plants.
- Before your visit, call a friend or family member who lives out of town and ask questions about what he or she has been doing. Then relay that information to your loved one during your visit.
- Talk about your children — bring them with if possible! Or talk about kids in your neighborhood or church.
- Ask for advice — how to fix something, where to plant something, how to deal with a difficult co-worker, where to go on vacation, etc. It’s a great way to make your loved one feel involved and valued.
- Ask about favorites — food, color, music, restaurant, movie, recipe, season, holiday, animal, day of the week, job, sport, book, etc. Share your own favorites too!
- Give yourself permission to make it a short visit, less than 30 minutes. It’s not the amount of time that matters; it’s the time itself. You might even feel that you can visit more often if the visits are shorter.
These are just eight ideas to get you started. For more tips — including conversation starters — visit the page on our website: Tips for Visiting a Loved One.
by Melanie Jongsma, Director of Communications
Most people don’t get a warm, fuzzy feeling when they hear the word technology. Technology has connotations of being cold, lifeless, unfeeling.
But I recently learned about a “cold, lifeless” technology that is allowing Providence caregivers to be more “warm and fuzzy.”
This spring we’ve begun using Touchscreen Charting at our skilled nursing campuses. Now, I used to be a CNA, and I remember “charting.” At some point in every shift, each CNA would have to gather the medical charts of his or her 10-12 patients. We’d pile them on the break room table, sit down, open them up one by one, and record all the details we could remember about each patient. It was tedious work, and it took a long time, but we knew it was important: the next shift would be reading our charts and making care decisions based on our notes.
As important as charting is, the down side is that it takes you away from actual patient care. Every minute spent charting is a minute you’re not feeding someone, walking with someone, answering someone’s call light, or having a conversation with someone’s family.
Touchscreen Charting is designed to minimize charting time and maximize charting accuracy. Not only is it a faster way to record patient details, it also allows you to make entries as things happen throughout your shift, rather than setting aside a block of time to sit down and chart. So your records are more likely to be accurate.
Providence has been working on this technology for more than two years, and we’re all excited to begin implementing it. We’re excited that time-saving technology like this gives us more time to be warm and human with the people we serve. It’s one more way we can provide excellent care even when financial resources are in short supply.
Glimpses of Providence 