By Dawn Boisvert, DOR, Millennium Post Acute Rehab, West Columbia, SC
In today’s ever-changing health care system, the skilled nursing industry tends to be getting more acute residents with each passing year. This has allowed us, at Millennium Post-Acute Rehab in West Columbia, SC, to step up the bar and the expectations of skilled nursing. We are the only ventilator facility in South Carolina, with an average of 30 vent patients and 22 trach patients. We have a very robust team of nurses, CNAs, respiratory therapists, PT/PTAs, OT/COTAs, and SLPs. With all the staff that assist with our airway patients, there is one department that seems to be standing in the spotlight. This department forges new heights daily with our most acute patients. They are advocates, supporters, listening ears, a shoulder to cry on, and the provider of ice chips, honey buns, pudding, and “real regular” water. They are most definitely one of OUR Millennium superstars. I would love to introduce to you, our two full time SLPs: Melissa Alexander and Juliann Nay.
This is what some of their patients said about them:
- “Melissa was the first person to ever listen to me.”
- “Melissa takes care of me no matter what I need.”
- If something is going on with me, Melissa will check on me several times throughout the day.
- “I love Juliann’s friendliness and attitude. She’s just awesome. She even let me have her Christmas sweater.”
- “Juliann is so sweet with a little mischief.”
These ladies give 110% to their patients everyday they walk through the doors at Millennium. Their main focus each day is work side by side with RT to build up the residents’ respiratory muscle strength to allow for vent weaning, capping, speaking valves, pharyngeal strengthening to allow for FEEs and diet upgrades, oral care, memory strategies, medication management, safety awareness, and SO MUCH MORE.
Millennium is truly blessed to have these two dedicated SLPs that deeply care about the well being and quality of life for each resident that they evaluate and treat. You can always find these two purchasing their residents’ favorite snacks, meals, and goodies once they pass their swallow study. Here’s a few extra things that they do to enhance the resident’s quality of life: they help nursing/PT/OT get residents out of bed for meals/activities, they bring their residents clothing, they drop what they are doing at any moment to help a resident or another staff member in need. There are no boundaries with this dynamic duo. They even have the nickname of “sliding board queens” by OT staff.
We are so thankful that Melissa and Juliann are a part of the Millennium family!!! Please help us celebrate all they do to make each residents Millennium experience better!!!