News Releases
CURA HOSPITALITY, PHEOBE RICHLAND HEALTH CARE CENTER CREATE "RESIDENT-CENTERED" CARE
RICHLANDTOWN, PA, April 6, 2009 – Cura Hospitality and Phoebe Richland Health Care Center partner to provide “resident- centered” clinical care that focus on re-creating the residents’ home comforts, daily living routines and opportunities more conducive to socialization. Based on this model, the goal is to deinstitutionalize long-term care by creating rehabilitative social settings where elders can receive assistance and support with activities of daily living and clinical care, without the assistance and care becoming the focus of their existence.
According to Phoebe Richland Administrator Mary Kay McMahon, RN, MHA, NHA, nursing homes were traditionally designed to be structured living environments in a medical model. “Our goal was to reverse this, and to tailor our services to the residents by creating warm “home-like” environments that cater to the residents personal and daily needs,” says Ms. McMahon.
Phoebe Richland’s new look includes neighborhood style living. Three neighborhoods are designated by the care required, for example, short-term, long-term and dementia neighborhoods. Each neighborhood enhances quality of care for residents with multiple services and options for daily living,” says Ms. McMahon. There are also private rooms and baths, and more open and outdoor spaces which are critical to the future consumer and baby boomers who have higher expectations for dining services, amenities and customer service.
After completing renovations, including architectural and interior design changes in 2007, Phoebe Richland focused on dining services, farm-fresh food that is prepared to order, wellness, and a sustainable, greener operation. Late last year, Cura Hospitality (the company that manages dining for Phoebe Richland) launched a task force which addresses everything from points of dining services to designing greener communities. Cura operators create action plans to address community specific changes as defined by the specific desires and preferences of its residents. “Our goal is to be a resource for our clients in implementing their patient and resident care initiatives, to help them increase census and be a leader during these challenging economic times,” says Cura President and Founder Mitch Possinger.
As a result, Phoebe Richland “decentralized” food service to three new home-style multipurpose dining and activity rooms for short-term, long-term and dementia neighborhoods. This new style of service allows the entrée to be prepared in the main kitchen and delivered to the new dining room, complete with a pantry kitchen. The food is kept hot in the pantry kitchen, then plated and served to residents as they request their meals. Beverages, desserts and other cold selections are easily accessible from the pantry kitchen refrigerator.
Prior to the renovation, food was plated in the main kitchen and delivered on trays via carts to the residents’ rooms. Instead of tray-line systems, which is institutional and limits what healthcare residents can order, residents now have the opportunity to socialize while they enjoy fresh, delicious, home-style food in a new and cheery environment.
The new dining areas also serve as activities centers. Tables and chairs break down easily to allow for recreation, or residents may enjoy a movie or surf the web on the new flat-screen TV’s. More outdoor patios are planned with raised flower and vegetable beds where residents may also participate in community gardening.
Culture change is evolving and our goal will be meeting the individual needs of our residents, says Ms. McMahon. “We are constantly working to create a better living environment that provide the comforts of home, while incorporating a better system that help to engage residents and encourage them to rehabilitate faster, eat better, and overall live and enjoy life to the fullest,” she says.
ABOUT CURA HOSPITALITY
A member of Eat’n Park Hospitality Group, Cura Hospitality is a highly responsive and innovative dining services and hospitality provider dedicated to a mission of Enhancing Life Around Great Food. With its headquarters in Orefield, Pa., Cura serves over 50 senior living communities and hospitals throughout Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Maryland and West Virginia. Cura’s professionals provide hospitality and clinical care to more than 20,000 residents, patients and guests each day. Visit us at www.curahospitality.com.
