Star-Journbal Editor
The highest-ranking senior care official in the state was in town this past week to present another PEAK award to Hillsboro Community Medical Center's long-term care unit.
It's the second time in as many years that the LTCU has received the state's most prestigious award from the Kansas Department of Aging.
Kathy Greenlee, acting secretary of the department, led a small entourage from Topeka to the facility this past Wednesday to present the plaque, and a $300 check, to hospital administrator Michael Ryan.
Nursing home residents, LTCU staff, hospital board members, and Hillsboro Mayor Delores Dalke were among those at the ceremony.
The award, Greenlee said, would look great on the facility's recently smoothed-over cinderblock walls.
As for the check, at first Greenlee suggested tongue-in-cheek that it could be used to buy more paint for the unit's remodeling projects; then added with a smile that she preferred the award be used to throw a party for the well-deserving staff.
PEAK stands for "Promoting Excellent Alternatives in Kansas nursing homes." The award is given to those Kansas nursing homes who are moving from the old institutional nursing home model to the more humane "patient-centered care."
"The way we got to you today is you nominated yourself and said, 'We're doing a good job!' and we came out to say, 'Yes, you are!'" Greenlee said.
She added that Hillsboro LTCU had done four essential things to qualify for award, which are involving residents in the change process; seeking regular input from the entire staff; improving the facility's interior to make it feel more like home; and strong community ties to bring visitors into the residence.
"A long-term care unit of a hospital or nursing home should not feel like a hospital," Greenlee said. "When you come here, it should feel like home.
"You've been challenged by our cinderblock walls," she added. "You are not unique. Many, many, in fact most of the nursing homes built in Kansas were built 30 to 35 years ago with cinderblock walls, and they're not pretty.
"And so what you have done, with the assistance of the city, is start skimming over them and painting them. That change makes this feel much, much more like the homes that you lived in. It's not just cosmetic; it's a significant part of creating a home."
The cinderblock wall project was one of several upgrades to the facility in the past year. In addition to physical improvements, Hillsboro LTCU also stands out Greenlee said, because of hospital leadership.
"The culture of care can't be changed without leadership from administrators and staff," she said.
But Ryan wouldn't take the credit for leading the way toward more compassionate elderly care. The concept has been championed from the beginning by LTCU administrator Gayla Ratzlaff and her staff.
"They're the ones responsible for making this a home that the residents can be happy in," Ryan said. "And that's all we're trying to do, to make it as much like home as we can."
After the awards ceremony, Ryan said there were stark differences in nursing homes today when compared to a decade ago.
"Ten years ago, most nursing homes had the institutional model of care," he said. "You came in and within two weeks you were institutionalized.
"You changed the way you lived to get along with the staff. You tried to live your life so you made it easy for the nurses. Nurses did things at their convenience.
"Now in a facility like this, you're trying to let [residents] continue the way they were living, and at the same time provide medical care. Things are much more like a home than an institution now."
Changing from the institutional model to the more humane model has been a slow process at most nursing homes, he added, which is why the state has been recognizing the efforts of facilities that are leading the way.
"We are unique when compared to other facilities in Kansas," Ryan said. "At other facilities, its difficult to get them excited about getting on this road to culture change. It takes a lot of effort; a lot of commitment to make it better for residents.
"The nurse's aides aren't getting paid any more to go down this road than a road that's more of a traditional model," Ryan added. "And it does take more effort."
Even Ryan himself had to be convinced of a need for change, he said, adding that it took about a year for his eyes to be opened.
"It truly is a 180-degree turn in how you deliver care," he said. "My attitude was, if something's not broke, why fix it? But they really convinced me that it needed to be fixed, and it's been wonderful since we've done that."
Ryan said another reason for wanting to improve the nursing home is that he himself is likely to live in one someday.
"What am I going to want when I come into a nursing home?" he said. "I will want to do as much as I can of the things I was doing before I came into the nursing home."
