Alabama Nursing Homes Honored for Innovative Approaches to Care
Eight Facilities Have Developed Innovative Approaches to Resident Care and Quality of Life
MONTGOMERY – Eight Alabama nursing homes will be honored for developing creative techniques and implementing innovative practices to improve resident care. Those facilities will present their initiatives at the 20th annual Alabama’s Best Practices Program on August 29 at the Cahaba Grand Conference Center in Birmingham.
The Alabama nursing homes chosen to present their “Best Practice” are:
“DARE to Care” – South Haven Health & Rehab – Hoover
- DARE (Dementia Activities Resources and Enrichment) to Care is a program which reduces behaviors, increase safety and keeps residents active
“Off the Chain” – Coosa Valley Nursing Home – Sylacauga
- Innovative activities have been designed to increase resident quality of life and provide support for young adults living in nursing homes by incorporating culture change
“Serenity Suite” – Oak Park Nursing Home – Auburn
- Nursing home staff developed a room that provides privacy for the family and for the resident who is nearing the end of life
“Caring Paws” – Arbor Springs Health & Rehab Center – Opelika
- By partnering with Auburn University’s School of Nursing, this facility developed ways to enrich the lives of people diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer’s using pet therapy
“Hicks and Giggles” – Haleyville Health & Rehab – Haleyville
- By incorporating laughter into care, the facility increased the participation in events by male residents and boosted staff morale
“Weight Watchers Happy Hour” – River City Center – Decatur
- This program combines personal attention, high calorie foods and daily encouragement to stabilize the weight of long term care resident
“Young Bloods” – Athens Rehab Center & Senior Care – Athens
- Consisting of residents 59 years of age and younger, The Young Bloods Club recognizes the different needs of younger residents and increases quality of life for this age group
“Five Alive” – Hanceville Nursing & Rehab Center – Hanceville
- This program uses a specially prepared sensory room to properly stimulate resident with dementia and has been shown to decrease agitation and restlessness
The Best Practices program is chaired by Pam Penland, a nursing home owner from Ashville, Alabama. According to Penland, “While each idea addresses very different needs, they share a common goal of improving the lives of nursing home residents. These innovative programs and ideas can be emulated in nursing homes across Alabama.”
Alabama’s Best Practices was created by the Alabama Nursing Home Association in 1994 with cooperation from the Alabama Department of Public Health. The program recognizes nursing homes for innovative ways of improving residents’ quality of life and/or quality of care. The concepts shared have touched and improved the lives of countless hundreds of Alabama’s nursing home residents.
“Alabama’s Best Practices is one of the reasons that our state has some of the highest performing nursing homes in the country,” ANHA President Richard Brockman said. “All of our nursing homes can learn from and implement the successful programs of their counterparts. This idea sharing fostered among facilities that can lead to improved resident care.”
In addition to the facility presentations, the event will honor over 60 nursing home employees for their exceptional contributions to long term care.
