Supportive measures program a key feat for Rosebridge
Homes orientation program also cited as accomplishment of 2004
Wednesday, November 24, 2004 - Roderick Benns
The supportive measures program of Rosebridge Manor is so thorough and helpful, Administrator Nelly Hobbs says it must be considered the best accomplishment of the year at the long-term care home.

Nelly says she thinks this is the case because of the systematic way the supportive measures program is operated in the home.

"It’s mainly spearheaded by (Life Enrichment Co-ordinator) Kathy Barr and (Registered Nurse) Heath Heffernan," says Nelly.

The two supportive measures specialists ensure every single staff member in the home gets supportive measures training, using a systematic approach. "They make sure they speak with everyone and get short in-services developed" on a regular basis, says Nelly.

Supportive practitioners strive to understand the individual preferences and needs of each resident, to minimize the usage of pharmaceutical interventions.

"That’s been very successful this year and we want to strengthen this even further," says the administrator.

Nelly says the home’s orientation program is also a key accomplishment, long considered one of the best approaches in OMNI. Nelly sits on the OMNI committee that is helping to streamline and bring consistency to the program.

At Rosebridge, consistency has been developed for all departments, no matter what department is doing the hiring, says Nelly. From thorough ‘tick lists,’ to longer orientations, this is a truly refined program, she says.

"It’s a longer orientation than most homes," she points out.

One full day is devoted to some specialized areas. For instance, there is a half day of information about transfer and lift of residents and the other half of the day is about abuse and sensitivity training, as well as supportive measures training.

Next year, Nelly says the focus will move to continuous quality improvement, or CQI. "We do a lot of data gathering and I think we should refine our process," she says.

Nelly notes this will help on many levels, including having more accurate case mix index charting and for accreditation purposes, something that will be due again in 2005.