Who are the Owners/Providers?

Many Providers have nursing degrees; ARNP's, RN's, LPN's, as well as nursing assistant certificates; CNA's and NAR's.  We take continuing education every year to renew our licenses.  Larger numbers of us are furthering our education and have returned to school to become nurses or earn Geriatric accreditation.  Many started out by caring for one of our own family members (father, mother, aunt, etc.) and continue on in this line of work because we've became attached to the Residents we care for.  And many came from other lands and found a niche market in which to become established in America.  For the members of the WSRCC - It's about the care!  We care about Quality Assurance and hold ourselves to a high standard!  And, we consider it an honor and privilege to serve you and your families just as if you were our own!

Jeanne & Caregiver Victoria finished sorting a drawer and stopped for a "cuppa tea".

Jeanne found an old photo. Aaaaahh. The Memories!

Our Daily Philosophy:   
 

In accordance with the comprehensive assessment; Activities are the "things we do."  These include getting dressed, doing chores, playing cards, etc.  They can be active or passive, done alone or in the company of others.  They enhance a person's sense of dignity and self-esteem by giving purpose and meaning to his/her life.  Activities structure time and can make the best of retained and existing abilities, and can especially lessen undesirable behavior such as wandering or agitation.

Activities are the "things we do." 

Daily Routines:  

Go way beyond Personal Care and Mealtime Activities (bathing, shaving, dressing, preparing food, cooking and eating) and Chores (dusting, sweeping and doing laundry).

 

Grooming & Personal Attention!	Holiday Celebrations & Parties!	Creative	Medical Attention on Sick Days	Combining Intellectual & Physical
Work Related - Former Piano Teacher	Creative	Social and Spiritual	Social	Social & Spontaneous; Red Hat Ladies!

 

The Person: 

When we plan activities, we think about the Total Person, what skills and abilities does he/she still have?  What would this person enjoy?  Does he/she begin activities without direction (set or clear the table, sweep the floor?)

 

The Activity:

We make the Activity part of the daily routine, like asking a resident to help us complete a task, like folding towels, which provides a sense of purpose and importance.  We focus on enjoyment, not achievement.  We stress involvement, with activities that help the resident feel like a valued part of the household, like setting the table.  We relate the activity to work life; a business person might enjoy organization activities such as putting coins in a holder.  We look for favorites, like drinking coffee and reading the newspaper (even if the resident's not able to completely comprehend what he/she's reading), and we modify activities as needed.  We try to be flexible and acknowledge the person's changing interests and abilities, and as the disease progresses, we introduce more repetitive tasks or even expect the person to take a less active role in activities.

 

We offer support and supervision.

 

Our Approach: 

We offer support and supervision (we may need to demonstrate and provide simple, step-by-step directions). We concentrate on the process, not the product (does it really matter if the towels are folded properly - not really). We try to remain realistic and relaxed (every minute of the day needn’t be filled with activity - the resident needs a balance of activity and rest, and may need more frequent breaks and varied tasks). We get the activity started, break it into simple, easy to follow steps, and assist with the difficult parts (in cooking, we can measure the ingredients, and say "Would you please stir this for me?"). We try not to criticize or correct the person, and by careful observation, we can substitute an activity for a behavior (if she rubs her hand on a table, by placing a cloth in her hand we might be able to encourage her to wipe the table). And if something isn’t working, it may be the wrong time of day or the activity may be too complicated. We try again later or adapt the activity.

 

Environment:  

We make the activities safe, removing toxic materials and dangerous tools, so an activity such as sanding a piece of wood can be safe and pleasurable. By leaving out scrapbooks, photo albums and old magazines, we help our residents to reminisce. And we try to minimize distractions that can frighten or confuse.

 

Structuring the day:  

We begin by thinking about the past week, by keeping notes in a journal about activities and experiences that worked and didn’t work. Which worked best and which didn’t? Why? Then we set up a written schedule, based on this journal. A patterned day allows us to spend less time and energy trying to figure out what to do from moment to moment.

 

Success varies from day to day.

 

Evaluation:    

The success of any activity can vary from day to day. In general, if the resident seems bored, distracted or irritable, we’ll know its time to introduce another activity or take time out to rest. In most cases, we expect these structured, pleasant activities to decrease agitation and improve her mood. 

 

The nature of the activity and degree to which it's completed is not as important
as the pleasure and sense of accomplishment
we hope our residents derive from it!

Activities We Draw From:

#1   Self-Care	Manicures; Grooming: combing hair Dressing, Skin care & Make-up Teeth & Denture Care;  Toileting Mobility & Transfer
#2    Household    Chores	Pick up bedroom, trash Make or strip Bed	Fold Laundry Dust & Sweep
#3  Meal             Preparation    Kitchen Skills		Sauces, Soups, Gravy, etc. Sandwiches, Salads: Tossed, Potato & Macaroni Puddings, Pies and Tarts Folding Napkins, Table setting & clearing Serving Food & Beverage
#4   Physical -        Gross Motor	Exercise; Range of Motion Floor Games:  shuffleboard, bowling, horseshoes, etc. WALKING; Dancing
#5     Creative      Arts & Crafts  & Hobbies		Decorating for Season Note Cards, Greeting Cards, Scrapbooking Mosaics, Bookmarks, Decoupage plaques Candle Making, Painting & Gardening Music - Words & Melody
#6   Intellectual &     Work Related		Books, Crossword puzzles, Magazines, Daily Orientation, Gardening, Stuffing envelopes, Punching holes in paper Stapling & collating, Stamping Mail, Clip Coupons
#7    Social & Spiritual	PET/s  &  CHILDREN THERAPY Hymn Sing & Devotions Table Games & Table Discussion Groups Dinners, Parties &  Monthly Potlucks

We try to stimulate the Mind, Body & Soul  -  Everyday!!!