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By Dominic DeLaquil, PT, CEEAA, Therapy Resource, ID/NV
Steve is a LTC resident at McCall Rehab being treated by Speech Therapy for cognitive/communication deficits. He has a history of alcohol abuse and dementia. With winter in the mountains and COVID restrictions, his behaviors had become a real problem. He was initially refusing to get OOB and staying in a dark room, but as the weather began to turn to spring, he began excessive wandering, wanting to get out of the facility. He was agitated and confused and began urinating in sinks and trash cans.

Using the ACA approach, SLP Cassie Johnson took him outside and listened. He was remarking on all of the things around that building that might need repair or upkeep after the long winter. She asked him what he would do, and one thing led to another, and she got some sandpaper and he started working on refinishing a wooden patio table at the facility. Another resident became interested, and they worked on the table together. They have since formed a friendship and seek each other out. All of Steve’s behaviors have ceased and he is more motivated to improve his abilities and hopes to discharge to an ALF. As an additional benefit, other residents became interested and the furniture sanding became a group activity!

In addition, his SLUMS score in February, when he was depressed and his confusion was worse, was a 13/30. Tested recently, after finding some purpose and satisfaction, his cognition actually shows improvement and he scored a 22/30!

Danielle Kistler, OTR/L, is a new CLT at Holladay Healthcare. We are so excited to have a CLT at our facility, and we are already seeing some great successes with her interventions. We have an LTC resident that had LE skin tears that developed into stasis ulcers. The nurses were providing wound care for about six months with the patient being on and off antibiotics due to infections, with the ulcers being unable to heal.

At the same time Danielle became certified in lymphedema management, the patient was referred to a wound clinic for further wound treatment. With Danielle being able to provide appropriate compression wraps at the same time the patient was attending the wound clinic, his stasis ulcers are now healed. The nurse manager received multiple calls from the wound clinic on how well his legs were being wrapped and how impressed they were with the healing of his wounds. This patient also has aphasia and has difficulty communicating with his caregivers. We have seen a change in this patient, with signs of reduced pain, increased participation in ADLs, decreased outbursts, and improved quality of life.

Submitted by Jeremy McCorristin, DOR, Holladay Healthcare, Salt Lake City, UT

Our long-term care population is now fully vaccinated, and it seems as if we are entering, dare I say it, a post-pandemic environment. We made it, but now what?

During the pandemic, we have seen our residents’ version of normalcy altered. Those who used to spend most of their day in the dining room, in activities or the therapy gym, and visiting with their friends and family now are found sleeping in more, not eating as much or as healthy as before, and no longer have the desire to engage in social activities. When they do feel like getting out of their room, seeing them use a wheelchair is more common. Some of them are COVID-recovered and have never fully bounced back after fighting the virus.

Our therapists opened their minds to different therapy approaches and gained the skills that it takes to truly dignify the lives of long-term care residents. We knew these effects of illness and quarantine isolation would take a toll on our vulnerable population, and we did everything we could to combat them in real time with preventative therapeutic approaches. In a pre-COVID world, our building was predominantly a rehab-to-home facility, and it was uncomfortable at times for our therapists to develop long-term care treatment plans. The pandemic highlighted the necessity for our services, and now it is hard to imagine not being this involved with them.

Our Speech Therapists, with multidisciplinary collaboration, hosted a new program this month called “Rise and Dine.” This program began as a nutrition and hydration-based club that requires participants to get out of bed and engage cognitive and communication skills in choosing meal preferences for the event. “We are all very passionate about our residents’ quality of lives and saw this as an opportunity to meet our residents’ nutritional and social needs. The excitement and feedback of our residents really fueled the idea and brought our entire dietary and therapy staff together to make this such a successful event!” — Breean Ludwig, HCRO Speech Therapist

As excitement grew, we realized this program could address almost all the abilities we have seen deteriorate. We ordered T-shirts to encourage dressing and hygiene before the event, and all our therapists came in to facilitate transfers, self-care routines, and mobility to and from the dining room. We also were able to treat goals related to self-feeding, dynamic standing, and sitting tolerance and positioning.

“We saw such a negative impact after so many in-room isolations during the COVID pandemic. Our Residents were discouraged, losing weight, not socializing, showed physical and cognitive changes, and did not want to come out of their rooms. We wanted to do something to bring excitement back into their lives while still being able to target our goals in therapy. This program offers an opportunity for all disciplines (PT/OT/ST) to participate.” — Ke’ren Grimaldo, HCRO Speech Therapist.

Although we are striving to return our residents back to “normal,” I am proud to say our Therapy team has established a new norm as well, and we are not looking back. Just as preventative interventions were important during the pandemic, how we move forward now is just as crucial. 85% of our long-term care residents got out of their rooms to participate in this program. We owe a big thank-you to our dietary manager and her team for being as excited for this program as we were. Our team has a seasonal themed event planned for the rest of the year, and we can hardly wait!
Remember, every county and state Department of Health has specific guidelines for re-opening, so always consult with your DNS with your “back to normal” plan.

Submitted by Elizabeth Munford, PTA/TPM, The Healthcare Resort of Olathe, KS

The strength of a team can truly be powerful when everyone sees and feels the vision. Employee culture and retention has been at the top of the initiative list. How can we improve this area and create an environment that truly embodies Customer Second? Well let me introduce you to the M.E. committee. I spent time with one of the M.E. committee members, Loretta Johnson, PTA, to get a better understanding of what this committee has to offer.

As explained by Loretta, the Copperfield Healthcare and Rehab facility created the M.E. Committee (Motivating Employees), with a purpose to engage, support and reward their fellow coworkers. They have designed and cultivated strategies to build interpersonal skills, through exciting team-building exercises. This level of cultural promotion encourages open communication, challenges employees with friendly competition, and assists with facilitating a healthy work-life balance.

The M.E. committee has put together a calendar of events that caters to employee engagement. As Loretta put it, “An employee who enjoys coming to work is a worthy investment, and a good day at work fuels the desire to be better the next day. This feeling of happiness at work will spill over into the love and care that we provide to our patients.”

Most recently, the M.E. committee hosted a Coloring Contest. All employees were asked to color a picture of a butterfly. Each butterfly was judged by the panel of patients, employees and visitors. The grand prize winner received a beautiful, laundry-themed gift basket. Other events included: Chili Cook-Off, World Water Day, and National Laugh Day. The time spent together is intentional, and it has allowed new-hires to comfortably blend in with the team.

The Copperfield Healthcare and Rehabilitation facility leadership team includes:
Noni Gill, ED; Unnati Patel, DON; Shayla Goode, M.Ed CCC-SLP

Submitted by Kai Williams, Therapy Resource, Keystone-East

The Rehab team at McCall Rehab and Care Center in McCall, Idaho, has had a vision of providing community-based outpatient therapy in people’s homes since the facility became part of the Pennant-ID/NV market in 2018.

McCall’s DOR, Jenny Sowers, DPT, couldn’t ever seem to find the consistent time to grow an outpatient program, so she decided she should find a therapist willing to take on that challenge. In September of 2020, Jenny hired Ellie Toscan, DPT, with the goal of Ellie building their Community-Based Outpatient program.

Ellie has shown tremendous ownership of the program, from marketing to clinical to financial. She independently tracks the financials weekly and monthly to ensure the program is financially viable. Executive Director Kurt Holm’s main goal for the program is to build relationships and reputation in the community. A recent admission gives clear indication that Kurt’s goal is being realized. Ellie was working with a patient in her home. She had a change of condition, went to the hospital, and was referred to McCall Rehab. Because of the relationship that Ellie built with this patient, she readily agreed to the discharge plan. The patient is now receiving skilled therapy and nursing services in our facility. Thanks Ellie for this great example of the power of our core value of ownership!

If you are looking to grow your community based outpatient program, please consult your therapy resource or Deb Bielek for regulatory help specific to your state.

Submitted by Dominic DeLaquil, Therapy Resource, Idaho/Nevada

Submitted by Stephanie Argyle, COTA and Kyle Fairchild, OTR, ADOR

Whether a patient comes to St. Joseph Villa for a rehab stay due to a fall, a recent injury, a surgical procedure or other medical conditions, we aim to include each individual in our discharge planning group as they approach discharge. Our goal is to educate our patients in ways to improve safety, improve energy conservation and improve self-awareness as they prepare to return home. Each group member is given a packet of written information, which includes a home safety checklist, pictures of adaptive equipment and links for ordering, and home exercises. We change our handouts based on the needs of our patients at the time.

Our DC Planning Group objectives are as follows:

• To identify barriers to discharge with a focus on current functional barriers
• Education in home safety, home modifications, DME needed for safety in the home
• Education in community resources for home safety
• Education in self-awareness and techniques to facilitate relaxation and awareness of your body at rest
• Education in the purpose of home health services and benefits of continuing therapy at home and as an outpatient

So many of our patients have expressed gratitude and appreciation as they learn from one of our OTs or COTAs AND from one another about adaptive equipment, techniques and strategies to improve their lives. One patient commented after attending the group, “I was so worried about falling in my bathroom. What you’ve taught me will make things much safer and easier — it will change my life!” We have allowed family members to attend our group, which has helped them learn how to better care for and support their loved ones. Overall, this education group has been a valuable addition and rewarding experience for both our patients and therapists!