FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 7, 2005

Florida Nursing Home Receives AHCA Culture Change Grant

Clearwater Center Awarded $37,500 to Implement Neighborhoods

CLEARWATER, FL - Clearwater Center, a 100-bed nursing home associated with AGE of Florida, has been awarded a grant from the Agency for Health Care Administration in the amount of $37,500. The intent of the grant is to provide funding for the home to focus on “Resident Centered Care through Culturally Changed Neighborhoods and Communities.”

The grant proposal was submitted on behalf of Clearwater Center by Betty Frandsen and Teresa McCann; team members from the Institute for Caregiver Education, the organization that will help guide the nursing home through the grant fulfillment process. “We hope to transform the Clearwater home from a diagnostic and treatment focus to that of a holistic care center that puts the resident first,” says McCann, Regional Education Specialist for the Institute.

The term “Culture Change” has found growing recognition in the eldercare community over the last eight years. The basis of the Culture Change philosophy is that of transforming eldercare providers from their traditional medical model of care to a social model, where residents are known by their uniqueness first, and by their diagnosis second. The philosophy is finding growing favor among eldercare professionals across the country, historically unhappy with the current systems in place to care for elders.

Clearwater’s transformation will occur through a series of training, coaching and outcome-based activities with an end result of creating culturally-transformed “neighborhoods” within the home that more closely resemble the environments from which residents came. The neighborhood philosophy centers on breaking down the large and impersonal “units” in the nursing home that were previously modeled after mini-hospital system of care delivery. The Neighborhood model of care has been proven to encourage and sustain a) building of meaningful relationships between staff and residents; b) empowering residents to exercise choice and control over their lives; c) promoting a feeling of being valued for residents and staff members alike and d) celebrating the unique contributions of each individual living and working within the home.

In addition to the major system change involved in moving the Clearwater Center toward the Neighborhood model, other enhancements made possible by the AHCA grant will include redecorating and enhancement of neighborhoods; clear front refrigerators on neighborhoods for 24/7 availability of snacks; replacement of medical model nurses stations; redesigning the central dining room into a restaurant, and personalized doors for resident rooms.

This transformation has both short- and long-term implications. Short-term results are anticipated to include:

• A decrease in medication errors as nurses know the residents in their smaller neighborhoods
• A reduction of infection rates as a higher level of individualized care is provided
  Marked decreases in skin tears and wounds, as staff have permanent assignments in smaller neighborhoods
• A reduction in the use of nutritional supplements, as appetite improves and caregivers know each resident's likes, dislikes and daily living patterns
• Increased fluid and nutrition consumption through more personalized attention, opportunity for choice, and greater interest in life
• Increases in employee job fulfillment and satisfaction

Long-term outcomes associated with the initiative are expected to include:

• Decreased weight loss, as residents' appetites improve
• A reduction in disruptive behavior, as life becomes more meaningful
• Significant reductions in the use of antipsychotic and anti-depression medications
• Decreases in resident loneliness, boredom and isolation
• Reductions in staff turnover, as employee satisfaction improves through greater workplace involvement
• Lessened resident and family complaints, as satisfaction grows
• Increases in resident quality of life
• Heightened resident and family satisfaction
• Rises in census, as Clearwater Center becomes the nursing home of choice in the area

“Our community is thrilled to be the recipient of this AHCA grant,” says Teresa Felicione, Clearwater’s Administrator. “Thanks to this grant we will be able to eliminate the institutional setting and provide our residents an environment where they truly feel ‘at home.’” Carol Tschop, Chairman of the Institute for Caregiver Education’s Board of Directors adds, “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to continue our work in Culture Change and look forward to working with AHCA and other Florida officials on this exciting initiative.”

The training will be guided by The Institute for Caregiver Education, (IfCE), a nationally-recognized leader in Culture Change education. For more than 15 years IfCE has provided quality caregiver education to nursing homes from California to Maine. Over the last five years the IfCE team has educated hundreds of long-term care professionals on a myriad of Culture Change topics at such national conferences as ASA, NADONA, AAHSA, AHCA, ACHCA, The Pioneer Network, the VA Summit and numerous state associations.The Institute for Caregiver Education is currently a leading Culture Change educator for a number of state QIO organizations as they work with the 8th Scope of Work and CMS.

IfCE team members are eldercare industry professionals from a variety of disciplines including nursing home administration, nurse management, home care management, long term care education, leadership and organizational management, healthcare marketing and communications.

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