Edgewood LifeCare Community Nurses Complete End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) Training
North Andover, MA (PRWEB) March 31, 2016 -- In a pinning ceremony held today at Edgewood LifeCare Community, the organization’s entire nursing staff — 32 nurses —was recognized for completing the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium’s (ELNEC’s) training program. In providing end-of- life care, this makes Edgewood’s Meadows Health Center the only skilled nursing facility in the U.S. to have every one of its nurses complete this training program. According to the ELNEC website, “People in our country deny death, believing that medical science can cure any patient. Death often is seen as a failure of the health care system rather than a natural aspect of life. This belief affects all health professionals, including nurses.” The ELNEC goes on to state that its program is designed to give nurses the specialized knowledge and skills needed to provide quality palliative care to patients and “to positively impact the lives of patients and families facing serious illness or the end of life.”
"We wanted to make sure all Edgewood nurses have the best education and the highest possible level of training in end-of-life care,” said Natalie MacBrien, RN, BSN NHA, vice president and chief health officer at Edgewood LifeCare Community. “We made a significant commitment of time and resources to enable every nurse on our staff to complete the ELNEC training program. And this is just one part of the training they complete for hospice and palliative care at Edgewood.”
Edgewood, located in North Andover, MA, also recently opened a specialized hospice suite designed to provide a calm, comforting place for family members to stay and visit with a dying relative. Available to residents of Edgewood as well as the public, the “Sunset Suite” takes advantage of the beautiful sunsets seen through its western-facing windows. Amenities include a living room area with a sleep-sofa and a kitchenette with a refrigerator, table, and chairs. Edgewood also offers aromatherapy for symptom management and the Edgewood Meaningful Music Program in which staff works with family members to create a playlist of music that has been significant to the patient in his or her life.
“The process of dying is a journey every one of us will take at some point,” said MacBrien. “All of us at Edgewood are committed to making the transition as comfortable and smooth as possible by providing a beautiful place for patients and their family members to spend precious time together, and staff who are well-trained and able to understand their unique needs during a difficult time.”
Edgewood LifeCare Community (EdgewoodRC.com) is a non-profit Life Care Community offering Independent Living, Lifestyle Assistance, Memory Care, and Skilled Nursing Care on an 80-acre campus adjoining conservation land and Lake Cochichewick in North Andover, MA.
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References:
ELNEC http://www.aacn.nche.edu/elnec/about/fact-sheet
CONTACT:
Kathleen D’Amico
Marketing Director
Edgewood Retirement Community, Inc.
Telephone: (978) 738-401
Email: damicokathleen(at)EdgewoodRC(dot)com
Website: EdgewoodRC.com
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Kathleen Damico, Edgewood Retirement Community, +1 (978) 725-3300, [email protected]
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