Zero Deficiencies!

One of the things Pam mentioned in her last post was that we had a zero deficiency survey. This is something that we are proud of and very thankful for. I believe it is a reflection of the good care and attention to detail that goes on here not only during “survey time” but every single day. I thought some of you might wonder about the survey process and exactly how hard it is to get a zero deficiency rating. Well, it doesn’t just happen! The surveyors that come here are from the Kansas Department of Aging, and they pop in unannounced! This year there were 3 – 5 surveyors here for four days. What do they do?  They observe. They follow the nursing staff around, watching them give care and pass medications. They look at how clean the facility is. They spend time in the kitchen, watching the food being prepared and served. In summary, they simply want to make sure that every department is doing what they are supposed to be doing at the time they are supposed to be doing it, and that they are doing it in the right way! Any staff can expect to be stopped for questions, for example: “What should you do if you see someone being abused”? They spend a large amount of time on the computer; reading the medical records, nursing notes, medication records, etc. They talk to the Residents; asking them questions about how they are treated, what the food is like, or if the employees knock before coming into their room. Then they take all the information they gather and enter it into their computer to see if something “triggers”. If there is a problem and it causes the system to “trigger” a concern, they will focus on that area more closely and it may be brought up as a deficiency. This year nothing triggered, which can only mean that everyone was doing their job right! Yes, it does make a person nervous to know that at any time you may be watched or questioned, but the survey process is necessary and the surveyors are human. The survey team this year was easy to work with, and left us with some very nice compliments. We had a celebration lunch on Friday, August 2. Our Residents feasted on Kentucky Fried Chicken, and all the employees and board members were invited to enjoy pizza from Pizza Hut. Following the lunch, Ron Classen read us two letters we had received; one from Governor Sam Brownback, and the other one from the Secretary of Aging, Shawn Sullivan, both congratulating us on our accomplishment. I walked away from the lunch with a heartfelt thankfulness and appreciation for all of my fellow team members here at the Manor. There are always challenges, but may we continue to stand together, hold our standards high, and give our best effort to provide the kind of care that we ourselves would like to receive.

– Angela