Washington Care Center

National Nursing Home Week

Helen — Sun, 13 May 2012 00:28:45 +0000

Mother’s Day is special for many reasons in the world of skilled and post acute care. We celebrate motherhood (very very important) but it is also the beginning of a week full of activity intended to celebrate the people we serve, their families, our awesome staff, volunteers and students. It’s called National Nursing Home Week, and we take that most seriously at WCC, or maybe we just like to party! People who work in long term and post acute care have some of the most challenging roles in healthcare service delivery, but they also come to realize that the rewards of caring for others, given that many have served our larger Seattle community for decades, is extremely meaningful. So during this week we share our appreciation for having each other in our daily lives. Every year we have some returning favorite events and there are always new ideas as we welcome additional energetic and fun people to our community. There are a couple of new events this year I would like to mention here, one is the Magnolia Social (May 16th 3PM) a spin from the movie Steel Magnolias. One of our volunteers has invited several beauticians to style for free our patients/ residents hair, there will be snacks, lively conversation (no doubt a few stories!), music, and our massage therapist Renee will be offering free chair massages, sounds like an amazing day! Although our Staff party is not a new event, what makes it different is that one of our family members is catering the event and providing all the food as a gift to all the WCC staff. She and her mom have become such an intregal part of our lives here, it is so very thoughtful and special Marta is doing this! On Saturday OSU Alumni are going to be creating a new garden area on the East side of our building ( designed by one of our residents!) as part of their community caring efforts. Friday is Casino Craziness 2PM for the residents, always a big hit! Everyone is encouraged to participate, so look on the calendars throughout the building to join whatever suits the mood. As always, we welcome those who have not visited for a while (or never visited) to see this as an opportunity to tour and experience our world,and hopefully have a memorable time!

Building Community

Helen — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 01:07:16 +0000

I refer often to the Washington Care Center “community”, and an MSW student at the University of Washington recently asked me to share with the class I was speaking to how we build a sense of community in our setting. Our East Wings are considered more “communities” than the Post Acute Care West Wing, but whether people are here short or long term we want them to see themselves in an environment that is focused on them not only as an individual, but part of a social network. The employees who are here to provide care make up part of that network of “caring” hands, along with the family and friends who visit. Patients and family often find they know someone from the larger Seattle community or enjoy getting to know some of the other patients/residents here. Additionally, socializing with other patients/residents in the facility can be very therapeutic as they share their stories with each other over dinner, in the therapy gym, or an activity of mutual enjoyment. Community is about people, and when a community thrives or when it is troubled you go to the people in it at any particular time to share the joy or heal whatever wounds. Certainly, an activity such as My Journey, where people come to share their stories helps to structure these conversations, and there are special candlelight dinners with live music that give people something to talk about at breakfast the next day. Going out on the van for a ride and ice cream or simply getting involved in decisions about the menus and other leisure opportunities together fosters community. We use consistent staffing in the building on each wing to encourage familiar relationships with caregivers, so some of our residents who have been here for a number of years have had the same NAC’ s and nurses the whole time. They are like family, and definitely contribute to the”community”. I’ve blogged about Susie Lee’s art project, a legacy of those individuals that participated will forever be part of the fabric of Washington Care Center’s multi-cultural community, along with the donations that have provided for a memorial library, entry bench, and healing garden. I have seen some of the same people almost every day for over six years now. I consider this more my community than some others that I may find myself ,and Ifind great pleasure in being part of it’s evolution.

Art at the Frye

Helen — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 23:01:40 +0000

Some of the residents at Washngton Care Center (WCC) had a unique opportunity last year to work with a local artist, Susie Lee. Susie received a grant through SEEDArts and 4Culture to produce several video-portraits. Since her original showing at WCC (3 LCD TV screens with 13 video-portraits, changing portrait every 30 minutes) I am aware that Susie has won a Genius Award, taken the show to Italy, to Portland and Tacoma Art Museums ( both purchased 1 portrait for their permanant collection ). Last Friday night I had the pleasure to attend a Private Party prior to the opening of Susie’s exhibit at the Frye Art Museum. It was very well attended so I was so grateful to hear once again the meaning of this project for the artist and to see one of the portraits, “Annie” on a 7 foot tall screen. The screen was in a room, the only piece of art to view there, and people gathered to discuss their impressions or simply sat quietly with the art. The 1 screen that remains at WCC is quite a bit smaller, and changes portraits, so this was a much different experience for me. Perhaps seeing “Annie” outside our setting also elicited my deeper emotional response. Everyone looks at art through their own lens and frame of reference, just like life I suppose, but I was reminded how much more I appreciate a work of art when I understand the artisits experience, am more knowledgeable about the subject matter, as well as the feelings and thoughts of the artist. Still Lives represents for me the notion of both impermanance and the timelessness of the human spirit . I am so pleased that others outside our setting are benefiting in their own personal ways. The other artist opening with Susie is Li Chen, also very compelling work titled “Eternity and the Commoner”‘ Together they are a compliment to each others creativity and the spiritual quality they bring to their art. I hope others take this opportunity to view and appreciate both the art, but also our wonderful community at WCC!

Snow? What Snow?

Helen — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:52:29 +0000

Seattle sure gets paralyzed during snowstorms. It’s like we just don’t move. But the staff at Washington Care Center doesn’t let that stop them. The show must go on with a skilled nursing facility like WCC. WCC can’t close down and make up “snow days” at a later date. WCC can’t put a “Closed due to Snow” sign up in the window. WCC can’t send out an email blast saying “Due to inclement weather, we will be closed today. Please stay tuned for our next opening”

WCC is house and home to approximately 160 residents that count on the staff being here 24 hrs a day, seven days a week. And let me tell you, staff rose to the occasion. Certainly, there were staff that were truly unable to safely get here, but the staff that did, did it with a great attitude and smile. The team pulled together to get shifts covered, staff went to pick up other staff who were nervous to drive, but were wanting to work their shift.

All and all, WCC kept on going over those 4 days without any major disruptions. We were even willing to help out any other facilities that had lost power or that may have needed our assistance.

It is so refreshing and comforting when staff shows their dedication and commitment to their team members, but first and foremost to the residents they serve.

Until the next snowstorm,

Flavia

Admissions

“What you do for someone is not what matters but its how you make them feel.”

Helen — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 22:40:06 +0000

Four years ago, I have the opportunity to serve our residents here at WCC. Throughout the years, I have LOVED our residents in our care and made sure that their needs are met even in a small way. We call ourselves “family”. Yesterday, one of our dear family members entered the gates of heaven. It’s a very sad moment for us. While I sit before her, every good moments spent together rushed through my head, “the good old times.” I remember her very first day she came here, she was a feisty woman, she will tell you what you need to hear without holding back. In spite of her strong willed ways, she has shown deep kindness to people around. She has never failed to tell me that I look good in a given day. Last year, she had met my son when I brought him to work, since then she never failed to ask me how my son is doing, “you better take good care of your son, and yourself for your son.” As I look back now, it’s that the things that had been done doesn’t matter its how she made me feel whenever we see each other in the morning. This morning our big family is deeply sad, “we are sad but grateful that our paths have crossed. We sure miss her already.

Caregiver at WCC.

Healing Gardens

Helen — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 01:31:50 +0000

Recently I attended a presentation about co-housing for Seniors. The speaker appeared to be a “boomer type” like myself, so it was of interest to me outside of being a Care Provider. After all, our generation was well known for our communal living tendencies! Most of the attendees at my table were from Senior Housing in the Seattle area so it was fun to participate in the afternoon exercise with them. The assisgnment was to discuss the most successful ways to create community in our various settings. A topic near and dear to me, since I believe that Washington Care Center has a positive reputation for generating a sense of community. I thought of all the ways we make that happen on a daily basis, some of it is the culture we have cultivated but there is some conscious program development that contributes. So I shared about our most recent undertaking, a Healing Garden on one of our lower level patios. Many of our elders enjoyed gardening, or sitting in parks and natural settings. Gardens can be therapeutic spots of comfort, beauty, healing and peace. Creating a space with our patients and residents in-put, utilizing employee and student expertise in design and crafting, contributed to creating a sense of community. Several months ago one of our MSW interns, Janet Salsbury, wrote a grant to Home Depot and was successful in receiving a gift card for $2500 from them (thank you to our good neighbor Home Depot!). Initially we thought this would be a great beginning. With the designs created by Janet and the talent of our Maintenance team it turned out we had enough resources for them to build four beautiful boxes, purchase starter plants, and buy some extra tools for our residents participation in planting! True we couldn’t have done it without staff from several different departments, the genuine joy in doing something outside their usual tasks, and the inspiration that comes with knowing you are making a meaningful difference, but it got its launch. Chao, from Maintenance, would probably tell you it was the most fun he has had doing his job in a long while. Healing Gardens, a gift that will see change with the seasons and continue to promote our community spirit!

WCC supports the Senior Services Soiree

Helen — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 23:11:38 +0000

Last Friday, some of the team from Washington Care Center and Shoreline Health and Rehab had the opportunity to attend The 28th Annual Senior Services’ Dinner and Auction at the Westin Hotel. The evening was filled with great people, delicious food, and a very animated live auction with John Curley as the auctioneer. The event was to benefit Senior Services, an organization that promotes the well-being of older adults. The guest of honor was Rodney Hochman, M.D., President and CEO of Swedish. He was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his extraordinary support of positive aging in the community. Helen Sikov, our Administrator invited Dr. Hochman to tour WCC, as we are also dedicated to supporting positive aging in the community and promoting the well being of older adults that we serve in our Skilled Nursing Community. We have a strong relationship with Swedish, as they are a partner in the community who we work with on a daily basis. We hope that Dr. Hochman will visit WCC, and see all that we do, as an independent non-profit, and as a Skilled Nursing Facility that not only serves the aging adults of the Rainier Valley for their Sub-Acute Rehab and Long Term Care needs, but greater Seattle as well.

Till next time,

Flavia Lagrange
Admissions

Welcome to the new Washington Care Center Blog!

Helen — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 00:34:30 +0000

As we launch our new website I am excited about this new opportunity for communication with our community! Washington Care Center (WCC)has been part of the Seattle health care network for over 40 years. It has been my pleasure to work with the management team in creating a new vision and mission for WCC since 2006, not long after the opening of the new West Wing and the multimillion dollar renovation of the East Wings. Although we continue to have a long term component, with memory care options, we have created smaller communities with a social model of care for this purpose. Simultaneously, we have focused our attention on intensive/skilled rehabilitation and subacute care serving people throughout the Pacific NW. Having spent over 25 years as an Administrator, I can say with all sincerity that this is one of the finest group of professionals I have worked with. We continue to be a work in progress to meet the new demands of our older adult clientele, we are changing, innovating, and creating programs that we hope are enhancing the lives of those people in our care. WCC intends to be a good neighbor and in the past couple of years have benefited by becoming a teaching facility, mentoring others who will be contributing to the well being of their community. This spot will be used to share our stories, our joys, special projects, recognitions, outreach efforts, and meaningful human interest moments for us. One of the most important elements of a successful and enjoyable career is to feel passionate about what you do. As they say, if you love your job you never have to work a day in your life. Passion gives you not only a mission; it also makes you feel energized and enthusiastic as you experience each day on your life path!