On-Site July 4th Events Highlight Socialization Activities for Skilled Nursing Facility Residents

Rio Grande Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center is emphasizing social wellness techniques as a key component in helping its residents to increase their overall happiness while benefiting their health.  Many seniors face challenges that impact the quality of their lives and it’s important to have ongoing activities that bring them together with peers and others. When living at Rio Grande Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center, the skilled nursing facility’s residents are frequently engaged in group activities to help them stay active and socialized.  As an example of a special wellness activity for Rio Grande residents, Independence Day was filled with patriotic fun and festivities. Residents gathered together to enjoy a classic Fourth of July barbecue along with a variety of other group activities including: Patriotic trivia Patriotic popsicles Watching fireworks Receiving patriotic swag “It’s very important and meaningful for our residents to partake in social activities that are designed to increase their emotional and mental wellness,” said its Administrator, Jacob Duke. “Fourth of July conjures up memories for our residents of celebrating with family and friends which is why we strive to create events such as these that help them feel more connected and engaged.”   Duke noted that some of the most popular wellness activities held by Rio Grande Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center are: Bowling BingoManicures The Dimensions of Wellness According to the National Wellness Institute, which is a non-profit that supports wellness and its practicing professionals: “Wellness is an active process through which people become aware of, and make choices toward, a more successful existence.”   Rio Grande Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center places strong focus on its residents’ social wellness for the positive impact it has on aging. In fact, mindfully focusing on wellness enables individuals, as they age, to live healthier lives, according to Dr. Bill Hettler, co-founder of the National Wellness Institute.  He identified “Six Dimensions of Wellness”: emotional, physical, intellectual, occupational, spiritual, and social. Hettler’s wellness model explains that each of the six dimensions is interconnected and contributes to living a healthy life. Participating in social activities is also linked to reducing the risk of developing dementia and preventing depression, he noted.  “It’s critical to maintain seniors’ engagement levels, so we put significant emphasis on it,” said Duke. “By having a wide variety of socialization opportunities and styles of get-togethers, we can fulfil the needs of many different interests, mobility capabilities, and personality types. This is what helps support a vibrant quality of life.”

Rio Grande Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center Celebrates Milestones After First Year Under New Ownership

Skilled Nursing Facility Credits Community for Encouraging Growth and Improvement

After taking stock of its growth and accomplishments over the past year, Rio Grande Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center, the 60-bed subacute and skilled nursing facility in La Jara, notes that its growth and development are directly related to the backing it has received from the local region, in addition to community-supporting initiatives of its new ownership team.  “We find it is more important than ever to partner with the community in as many ways possible and to focus our development on the needs expressed by our local residents,” said Jacob Duke, administrator of Rio Grande Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center.  “With this in mind,” he said, “we have taken very seriously our commitment to be a good neighbor and have actively solicited new ideas for ways we can provide better caregiving for residents and become the community’s trusted healthcare center. We’ve seen terrific support in the community’s response – as evidenced by its enthusiastic participation in the holiday celebrations and other outreach activities we’ve held.”   The new ownership team, which took over last fall, consists of a group of skilled nursing facility managers and operators based in Colorado and the Midwest. “The ownership group has significant experience in overseeing operations at similar-sized care centers,” Duke noted. “We already see the value of incorporating new ideas that have been successful at their other facilities as we work to advance our mission of excellence in care.”  Notable Milestones Among the accomplishments over the past year are: A 35% growth in the facility census An employee retention rate of 80% year over year Better community connections, including a closer relationship with San Luis Valley Regional Medical Center and Conejos County Hospital Holding school supply drives for local schools Setting up booths at local career fairs and other community events Holding a variety of free community events including summer picnics, Halloween festivities, and holiday lights displays Duke attributes the center’s increasingly effective performance to the core principles stressed by the new ownership team. “They have implemented three key tenets: ‘genuine hometown care,’ community integration, and treating employees as family. We’ve given a strong focus to these philosophies over the past year and it has helped us better service the community,” he noted.  Enhanced Employee Support Rio Grande Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center seeks to remain a local employer of choice, therefore among the innovative programs introduced this year is the facility’s Emergency Assistance Fund, through which employees in immediate financial need can now get economic help to tide them over during difficult times. This unique fund is set up as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, and is administered for the skilled nursing facility by a third party, ensuring employee confidentiality.  “This is another way we fulfill our mission,” said Duke. “While our commitment is to provide genuine hometown care while becoming a vital partner in the community, none of that can be accomplished without ensuring the health, safety, and happiness of our valued teammates.”

Skilled Nursing Facility Goes
Purple; Marks “Longest Day”  

More than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s Disease, says the Alzheimer’s Association, reminding us that June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month.  To show its support, Rio Grande Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center is joining individuals and organizations around the world in holding activities to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. The skilled nursing facility, in La Jara, is “going purple,” the official color of Alzheimer’s awareness, to educate people about this condition and raise funds to help those with the disease.  Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia – a general term for memory loss and other cognitive abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60% to 80% of dementia cases.  “Rio Grande Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center cares for many people in the community with memory conditions, including dementia and Alzheimer’s,” said its administrator, Jacob Duke. “We realize how important it is for these patients to be nurtured and get specialized care in a compassionate environment. We also want to do our part in helping to accelerate critical research and find a cure.”  To enable that treatment, the facility has a dedicated team caring for residents with Alzheimer's disease and other memory conditions. The facility also recently implemented a grant program called Reading2Connect, which is a reading program specifically designed for residents with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.  

‍Skilled Nursing Facility Holding Alzheimer’s Events To raise awareness during Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, Rio Grande Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center will “go purple” by having multiple days where staff will wear purple to show support for Alzheimer’s awareness.  

‍The Longest Day – June 21 In addition, on June 21 – the summer solstice – Rio Grande Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center engaged staff and residents in activities to shine light on the darkness of Alzheimer’s during the year’s longest day. The idea for the Longest Day project came from the Alzheimer’s Association, which has developed dozens of ideas for observing this day, such as fundraising events or hosting a fun activity.