Summit to Explore Strategies for "Creating Destinations" in Long-Term Care Environments
Planetree, Inc. and the Greenville Hospital System will host a two-day summit (July 17-18, 2007) to engage leaders in the fields of continuing care and elder advocacy in a dialogue about ways to transform the culture of nursing homes from being considered "places of last resort" to becoming stimulating communities that people look forward to going to, and environments where residents can continue to learn and grow.
Greer, SC (PRWEB) July 11, 2007 -- Planetree, Inc. and the Greenville Hospital System will host a two-day summit (July 17-18, 2007) to engage leaders in the fields of continuing care and elder advocacy in a dialogue about ways to transform the culture of nursing homes from being considered "places of last resort" to becoming stimulating communities that people look forward to going to, and environments where residents can continue to learn and grow. Industry innovators from around the country will share their unique approaches to fostering sustainable culture change. Among those examined will be Greenville's own leading-edge model, the Cottages at Brushy Creek.
"We are at a pivotal time in our industry, a time of reshaping and redesigning the meaning of service excellence," said Heidi Gil, Planetree's Continuing Care Specialist. "Ultimately, the Summit creates the energy and spirit that will enhance and accelerate the momentum for implementing solutions." Gil also serves as the Executive Director of Wesley Village in Shelton, Connecticut that piloted "Planetree Continuing Care: Creating Relationship-Centered Caring Environments."
Highlights of the Summit will include remarks by journalist Beth Baker whose book, Old Age in a New Age: The Promise of Transformative Nursing Homes (published May 2007, Vanderbilt University Press) spotlights nursing homes across the country that are redefining expectations for senior living environments. "As I traveled around the country, I visited remarkable nursing homes, including Wesley Village, that were good places to live and to work," said Baker.
Summit participants will also have an opportunity to see in action one such nursing home whose revolutionary approach is providing a more personalized, holistic and dignified experience for its residents. Set to open in August, the Greenville Hospital System's Cottages at Brushy Creek in Greer, South Carolina eschew many traditional nursing home conventions. Administrator Les Parks will tour Summit attendees around a neighborhood of twelve skilled nursing cottages, each containing a kitchen, living room, dining room, sunroom, spa, and twelve bedrooms, each with a private bath. This unique physical environment was created to complement Greenville's companion model of care, with each cottage having a dedicated staff that works solely with the twelve residents living there.
Greenville's Cottages at Brushy Creek are among a growing number of continuing care facilities nationwide that are implementing the Planetree model of care. Originally conceived of nearly 30 years ago by a California patient as a strategy for improving the acute care experience, the model challenges healthcare providers to reorient their day-to-day operations and interactions to optimally enhance patient comfort, convenience and active involvement in their care.
Driven by consumer demand, the Planetree model has since been adapted to continuing care environments. With regular input from administrators, front-line providers, and residents themselves, the Planetree Continuing Care Model has been created to guide the development of continuing care communities where each resident's journey is enhanced and there are many opportunities for relationship-building, learning and lifelong growth.
This ongoing feedback will continue at the Summit, with representatives from Planetree affiliates collectively reviewing guidelines for a standardized designation program that will recognize individual organizations' achievement and innovation in fostering a culture of relationship-centered, holistic care. Following the successful pilot phase this past year of Planetree's Patient-Centered Hospital Designation Program, the modified criteria and guidelines for continuing care facilities are expected to be announced later this year. As with the hospital-focused designation, this modified version will provide a framework for what constitutes "relationship-centered care" so that residents and their loved ones know what they can expect when they enter a designated community.
Planetree -- a not-for profit organization based in Derby, CT -- has been at the forefront of the effort to personalize, humanize, and demystify the health care system for nearly three decades.
Today, Planetree is a global community of 80 organizations representing more than 120 acute care hospitals, continuing care facilities, outpatient clinics, and libraries; approximately 1.3 million admissions annually; over 25,000 staffed beds; fifteen million out-patient visits; and over 100,000 annual births.
Please contact Planetree's Media Contact Lisa Donnarumma at 203-732-1377 or at ldonnarumma(at)planetree.org to arrange an interview with any of the following Summit participants:
Beth Baker, author, Old Age in a New Age: The Promise of Transformative Nursing Homes (media representatives are also invited to contact Beth Baker directly; phone: 301-270-8969; cell: 301-537-1597; bethbaker(at)starpower.net; or www.bethbaker.net)
Heidi Gil, Executive Director, Wesley Village (Shelton, CT); Continuing Care Specialist, Planetree, Inc.
Les Parks, Administrator, Cottages at Brushy Creek, Greenville Hospital System (Greer, SC)
Susan B. Frampton, Ph.D, President, Planetree, Inc.
###
Post Comment:
Trackback URL: http://www.prweb.com/pingpr.php/UHJvZi1NYWduLVRoaXItUGlnZy1UaGlyLVplcm8=
Bookmark -
Del.icio.us |
Furl It |
Technorati |
Ask |
MyWeb |
Propeller |
Live Bookmarks |
Newsvine |
TailRank |
Reddit |
Slashdot |
Digg |
Stumbleupon |
Google Bookmarks |
Sphere |
Blink It |
Spurl
|
