Weskota Manor Avera in Wessington Springs, SD, chose implementing consistent assignment between the CNA’s and residents for their 2015/2016 QAPI project. The purpose was to confront several issues such as decreasing falls and increasing activities of daily living for residents all while ensuring adequate staffing that provided individualized care. Project team members were Director of Nursing, Activities, Social Services, nursing staff and the residents. A major component for project success was involving the residents and CNA’s when matching care providers with residents.
As with any new way of thinking, there were barriers to consider such as attitudes, flexibility, orientation of new staff and encouraging current staff to sustain this new way of providing care by a consistent care provider. Several PDSA cycles were necessary to address barriers and to improve upon the consistent assignment care model for success at Weskota Manor. Scheduling tweaks and the addition of a CNA position was the result of one PDSA cycle which demonstrated strong leadership support. Hourly rounding with staff allowed for coaching opportunities and better understanding of how the project was going from a staff and resident perspective.
In addition to monitoring staff and resident satisfaction, attendance and turnover rates; other data monitored for positive outcomes were the CASPER quality measures, quality measure composite score, resident fall rates and observation of men being shaved daily. In less than 9 months, improvement was noted in all benchmarks! In fact, their quality measure composite score improved 54% from April 2015 to August 2016 going from a 10.10 score to below 6.00 making Weskota Manor eligible for the Platinum Milestone Achievement.
Loretta Tilley, Resident Council President commented, “I appreciate the fact that I helped choose who was going to be my care provider. Knowing who is going to be helping me every day is comforting. They know me and I know them. It just makes the day go so much better”. Upon interviewing several CNAs at Weskota, it was evident that the sentiment was mutual with CNAs also adding that it is easier to keep up on changes, appointments and resident’s daily needs with the consistent assignment approach.
Photo courtesy of Kristi Hine, Editor, True Dakotan.
Pictured from left to right: Lori Hintz, RN, program manager for Great Plains QIN; Lavonne Hines, CNA; Loretta Tilley, Resident Council President; Samantha Miller, CNA; and Gaea Blue, CE0/Administrator.
Recently, Weskota Manor Avera celebrated with the presentation of the Platinum Milestone Certificate by Lori Hintz, Great Plains Quality Innovation Network/South Dakota Foundation for Medical Care. A storyboard proudly displayed project details and added to the significance of this achievement and attention to quality improvement. Among the guests were residents, staff, a board and family member, leadership and the editor of the local newspaper. Click here for the local media story by Kristi Hines, Editor, True Dakotan.
Congratulations Weskota Manor Avera on a project that proved to have many positive quality improvement outcomes and for being so willing to share with your fellow South Dakota Nursing Home Quality Care Collaborative teams! For more information on the consistent assignment project at Weskota Manor Avera contact Administrator Gaea Blue, gaea.blue@avera.org or Director of Nursing Mary Fouberg, mary.fouberg@avera.org.