29222 Rancho Viejo Rd, Ste 127
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
May/June 2022
Whether we are setting our own personal goals or attaining goals within our departments, there are always people helping along the way who often go unrecognized. Many of these heroes enjoy watching others shine in the spotlight, but we decided to turn the cameras around to highlight their contributions in our new corner of the FlagPOST: “Behind the Scenes Superstars .” Our first feature is Anthony Sarah from our Service Center IT department!  
Meet Our Service Center Resource and Data Analyst Manager 
Submitted by Deb Bielek, Therapy Resource
Anthony Sarah has been working with Ensign Services for a little over six years, and he lives and breathes our culture as a resource and true partner. When asked about his connection to our core values, Anthony shared a few points that have really impacted him. First, he expressed the amazing mentoring and support he’s received from both Ryan Rushton and Josh Bigoss. Ryan hired Anthony and brought him onto the team. Josh has been a great mentor to him in his developing roles. Anthony credits both Ryan and Josh as having had a great influence on his growth and love for the organization. He also shared that he is super connected to the value of ownership, in that he takes on projects with a sense of ownership and commitment. This also shows through to him when he is brought into meetings to give his perspective, and he feels that his ideas matter for projects that are important to the greater good of the organization. 

On a personal note, Anthony is an only child and graduated from Cal Poly Pomona. He is engaged to Paige, who is a technical writer. A native Californian, he loves Disneyland and enjoys regularly playing a competitive card game. He has some great friends with whom he enjoys spending time both at work and outside of work and shared that the data team really enjoys spending time together. They usually go out a couple times per month to do something fun together!  

Anthony has been a great partner to our therapy initiatives all along the way. For the last two years, he has specifically supported our Medicare Functional Outcomes Dashboard as the hands-on analyst, shifting the more recent phases of the project to a team of data analysts. In addition to this project, Anthony is also supporting us with data and reporting in many other ways. For example, he is overseeing other initiatives relevant to our therapy business, such as overseeing a new Outpatient Margin Report, connecting managed care data to therapy data, cash collections to accrued therapy Part B revenue, and syncing up Net Health with Workday and PCC reporting items.   

We are so grateful for Anthony and the positive energy and joy that he brings to his resource position.
Reaching the Highest Peak is What Drives Us, but Reaching it Together is What Matters
#APEXStrong 
By Amber Thompson, Market Leader, Keystone - Texas
We would like to cordially invite you to be a part of the APEX challenge. Our focus over the past year has been on building leaders and transforming the way we serve our staff and residents. How do we create strong relationships within our IDT that are built on trust, accountability and love for one another? Performing physical challenges together as a team will create bonds between people that last a lifetime. The post COVID world has been a struggle for a lot of our operations. Employees are tired, some feel hopeless and some are lost in a spiral and can’t find their footing.  

As a market, the team decided to change our name in January 2022 to APEX. The context behind this was…how will we inspire our teams to get to the top of the mountain even when we are tired and feel as if we have no more to give? We are struggling with agency usage, retention, lower reimbursement rates and the cluster rigor. The market has refocused and recommitted to growing leaders and inspiring their teams to turn their visions into reality. Read On...
Putting Leadership Into Place  
By Donald Millares, COTA/L, TPM, Glenwood Care Center, Oxnard, California
After our annual therapy leadership meeting, we were challenged as leaders to find the beauty of what is going on every day and to live in the moment. So as I looked over to our Therapy Aide Elisha (better known as Ellie), who was sitting in front of me doodling one day, her artwork caught my attention. She explained to me that a patient came into our bigger rehab room and loved the calligraphy of names posted that indicated the therapist’s workstation. Without hesitation, she decided to make one for him as he was so ecstatic with the décor, the penmanship, and how it just makes the rehab room lively. When presenting the artwork to the patient, the patient teared up and told her that not many places have his name on posters and that he felt so appreciative of her work and him being here at the facility.
It’s moments like these that capture the beautiful, caring touch of our employees with our residents. Thank you, Elisha, for making Syngyn’s day and for making our rehab room a place to be! Pictured are Mr. Hawke and Elisha, along with some décor that she did. In the interest of discretion, we asked permission first from the patient as well, and he said, “By all means! Let everyone see the amazing artwork!” 
Thank You for the Opportunity
By Don Blomquist, TPM, Premier Care, Palm Springs, California
Being a new Therapy Program Manager (TPM) at Premier Care Center in Palm Springs, California, and after being with the company for 17 years, I was excited to attend the Annual Therapy Leadership Experience this year. It did not disappoint! It was electrifying and heart-warming to come to understand how much all of the DORs/TPMs are valued in this organization.

For me, it was a perfect balance of learning, emotion, fun — and eating. I can honestly say there were no opportunities to be bored. From the tears cried during some of the talks to the craziness of the Karaoke competition, my emotions were all over the place! Meeting fellow DORs/TPMs and realizing that we are all in the same boat, facing the same challenges, was comforting. Also, putting faces to names and positions closed a loop and made it a much more personal experience.  

I just wanted to thank everyone who was involved in putting together this awesome event, especially our great leaders, Mary and Deb. I’m already looking forward to our next get-together and am so ever grateful to be connected to so many amazing leaders across the company.
Not Your Typical COVID Story 
By Jennifer Kuehn, DOR, The Villas at Sunny Acres, Thornton, Colorado
The start of the Leadership Summit in March 2020 was especially daunting — traveling by myself for the first time since having a baby, I was thrilled by this new freedom but also incredibly lonely. Having a severe case of imposter syndrome, being surrounded by an amazing group of DORs/TPMs, resources, and overall multipliers, I was incredibly intimidated that I’d appear inadequate.

On the last night of our trip while in the hot springs, Ray (Yarman), Kristen (Weaver-Bailey), Whitney (Wilding), and Angela (Anderson) and I started chatting, wondering about what this whole “COVID-19” virus would bring, how to keep morale high in our buildings, the meanings of our tattoos, and which of our facilities would be the best fit for Deb Bielek! We soaked in the hot spring for hours with hopes of seeing each other in the near future and promised to keep in touch. They folded me in love and belonging, melting away any loneliness or feelings of inadequacy I had. 

On the way to our respective homes, the airports were empty, our facilities closed to visitors, and seemingly overnight our entire world changed. Over the past two years, these four women have been sounding boards, shoulders to cry on, inspirations, and sometimes just the reason to keep going. Through raising kids, changes in our staff, losses, CTO accomplishments, and even a wedding, these women are the heart and soul of their facilities, the embodiment of CAPLICO, and truly saving graces. Reuniting this year at Leadership Summit was a highlight of the pandemic. Who knows what these relationships would have looked like had COVID not been a bonder or if they even would have happened had we not all attended Summit, but I’m thankful we don’t have to find out! 
The Happy Cart Keeps Rolling!
Bringing Cheer and Appreciation to Everyone
By Kathy Fawn, Therapy Resource, Keystone, Texas
Last week, we did Happy Carts at both Legend Oaks South San Antonio and Patriot Heights. The idea behind it is to bring cheer and appreciation to each and every one of our staff members and residents. We went down the halls and offices with the song, "Happy," from Pharrell playing, and provided snacks and beverages to all. We included smiley face stress balls and emoji keychains.  We made sure to have snacks for those on a mechanical soft diet and sugar free for our diabetic staff and residents.

I loved seeing the smiles on the residents' faces and the staff just being excited about a simple thank you for all they do. We were there just to say thank you. They were asking for this to be a weekly thing. Whew! In the photos are Ashlei Jackson, DOR at Legend Oaks South and Kayla Greathouse, HR manager at Patriot Heights with myself. (And don't our outfits just make you want to smile.)
Borderstone Volleyball Tournament 
By Aaron De La Torre, Therapy Resource, Keystone, Texas
On Friday, May 13, the DORs in Borderstone (Jennifer Ybarra, Jennifer Melendez, Abby Solis, Vanessa Munoz, Matthew Magnelli, Joseph David, and David Delgado) rallied their teams to come together and compete against each other in a volleyball tournament! They carried over the momentum they gained at the annual Therapy Leadership Experience and transmitted our amazing culture (CAPLICO) to their teams in a market-wide event. Each facility showed up with great team spirit, unique team shirts, team song, and team names (one cleverly named themselves the “TheraBandits”). 

The competition was fierce, with several games going down to the wire! It was amazing to see the communication between teams throughout the tournament. You could hear therapists talking about strategy as they were waiting for their turn to play. On the court, teams quickly found out that individual talent is important, but working together and communicating is vital to success. Aside from bonding as a team, you could also see the intermingling among therapists from different facilities. 

The championship game was a thriller, with the two best teams going head to head against each other. When the dust settled, Golden Palms was victorious! They demonstrated great teamwork and communication! Overall, each DOR motivated their team to get excited and compete as a team. Borderstone is excited to keep the momentum going!
In May We Celebrate Speech Month
By Elyse Matson, MA CCC-SLP - SLP Resource
Speech month is an excellent time to start spreading the word about speech pathology in our facilities! Here are my top 10 ideas for getting the word out:
  1. Hold a staff inservice to discuss all the areas SLPs can treat.
  2. Host SLP Olympics with events such as recall of words, DDK rate, tongue twisters, chugging thin and thick liquids, and naming a certain number of words in a minute.
  3. Create a staff quiz with prizes about SLP-related topics. If they get the answer wrong, they take a shot of thick liquids.
  4. Make a speech poster to display for all to see.
  5. Reach out to local ALF/ILF to present on pertinent topics such as memory strategies, safe swallowing or speech production.
  6. Make sure your staff knows all the disorders an SLP can treat. 
  7. Include your SLP in referrals for changes of condition.
  8. Think of ways you can celebrate your SLPs this month!
  9. Reach out to your local resource or me if you need help growing your speech programs.
  10. Check out this link to a free resource!
What Is Dysphagia?
(Taken from the Dysphagia Research Society) 
Submitted by Elyse Matson, MA CCC-SLP - SLP Resource
Swallowing is one of the most complex actions we perform, involving more than 30 muscles and nerves. The average person swallows approximately 600 times per day — about 350 times while awake, 200 times while eating, and around 50 times while asleep.

Dysphagia indicates any difficulty or problem with swallowing normally. A swallowing disorder not only affects safety but also quality of life. Dysphagia is a serious medical condition that affects between 300,000 and 600,000 individuals in the United States each year. 

Common signs and symptoms of dysphagia include: difficulty with weight gain (in children), unintentional weight loss (in adults), coughing during eating/drinking, recurrent aspiration pneumonia, food/liquid coming out of the nose/mouth, and a feeling of food remaining “stuck” in the throat/upper chest, to name a few. Dysphagia is associated with a wide variety of conditions. Read On...
Therapy / Nursing Partnership
Fall Prevention Program
By Angela Anderson, PT, DOR, Gateway Transitional Care, Pocatello, Idaho
Therapy at Gateway has been honing in on fall prevention for several months now and has implemented many therapy interventions that are fairly standard in fall prevention. We have the therapists focusing on fall risk and fall prevention during the evaluations and recommending assistive equipment or strategies to prevent falls at that time. We had found that many of the falls were happening in the first day or two and that the therapy POCs weren't having time to affect the outcomes. So, Therapy and Nursing developed some tools to help implement interventions as preventative measures when the admission nurse does the intake.  

The admission nurses are already doing a fall risk assessment on intake. Our PT, David Cox, helped develop a 48-hour falls checklist that gives the admission nurse a list of areas to focus on and questions to ask that may help decrease the likelihood of fall, such as, "Have they been trained to use the call light and remote?” and “Is the clutter put away?" He also developed potential interventions for low-, medium- and high-fall-risk patients, depending on the result of the falls risk assessment tool. These lists give the admission nurse more interventions to choose from that may be applicable based on why the patients are triggering for higher falls risk.  Read On...
Nursing-Therapy Collaboration Dramatically Decreases Falls 
By Dominic DeLaquil, Therapy Resource – Pennant Idaho/Nevada
Like many facilities, Skyline Transitional Care Center in Boise had a problem with falls. January and February of 2022 were particularly challenging with falls, so the team decided to try a new approach. To address this problem, Skyline harnessed the power of the Nursing-Therapy collaboration.  The entire Therapy department took ownership for reducing falls, and the TPM Kristin Ryther tracked the current number of falls on a whiteboard in the gym, so everyone knew each day where they stood on falls.
  
They worked as one with their nursing partners to identify fall risks for each resident and take steps to reduce those risks whether they were environmental, behavioral or physical.  The results have been nothing less than astonishing!  In April they had only 4 falls, which was 2.3% of resident days, and in May, incredibly, they had only 1 fall out of 1,717 resident days!  Astounding results at Skyline and it is a great example of what can be accomplished when Nursing and Therapy work as one!  (ED Scott Piggott is thrilled about the results, but might be a little envious of the partnership 😊 That’s him in the background of the photo, to the left). 
Clarifying Skilled Nursing and Therapy
By Lori O’Hara, CCC-SLP, Skilled Reimbursement Resource, IDRS
In general, CMS holds both nursing services and therapy services to the same standard. Services must be reasonable, medically necessary, and require the skills of a licensed nurse/therapist.
From CMS: 
  • Skilled nursing/therapy services are those services that are so complex they can only be safely and effectively provided by a nurse or under the supervision of a nurse/therapist. 
  • Coverage does not turn on the presence or absence of an individual’s potential for improvement from nursing/therapy care, but rather on the beneficiary’s need for skilled care.
  • A condition that would not ordinarily require skilled nursing/therapy services may nevertheless require them under certain circumstances: the patient’s medical complications require the skills of a registered nurse/therapist to perform a type of service that would otherwise be considered non-skilled; or (b) the needed services are of such complexity that the skills of a nurse/therapist are required to furnish the services.
Frequency: 
  • To support a Part A episode, nursing services must be provided (and documented) 7x/week; to support a Part A episode, therapy must provide (and document) services at least 5x/week. 
  • Please note: The importance of a particular service to an individual patient, or the frequency with which it must be performed, does not, by itself, make it a skilled service. Read On...
Check out our amazing nursing leaders practicing a little self-care! We love our nurses! Thank you for inspiring us! 
Celebrating Ann Gray, DON, Omaha Nursing & Rehabilitation, Omaha, NE
In celebration of Nurses’ Week, the Omaha World-Herald interviewed Ann Gray, DON at Omaha Nursing & Rehabilitation. Ann shared that during COVID when patients were not able to see their families, Gray and two other staff members formed a Kindness Crew. They established “Be Kind Wednesday,” and “It just grew,” she said. Pretty soon the staff — and even some of the residents — were wearing their Be Kind T-shirts every Wednesday. “We solve problems,” Gray said matter-of-factly. “There is so much you can do to add to people’s lives.” See the whole story here
Therapist Profile
Welcome to Sunimae “Suni” Boccadoro, TPM, Berthoud Care & Rehab, Berthoud, Colorado
Submitted by Whitney Warkentin, Therapy Resource, Endura
Suni is our newest member of the Endura Therapy leadership team! We are so excited to have her at Berthoud Care & Rehab in Berthoud, Colorado. Suni is a PTA and came to us with 12 years of therapy leadership experience. She is passionate about directly impacting the lives of our patients, as well as growing her team members as strong clinicians and upcoming leaders. Suni brings a lot to our Endura team, including her calm spirit and positive disposition. She attended all of our lip sync rehearsals as the “newbie” and never batted an eye! When I asked Suni to describe her first few months with Endura , she said the following:

“I feel so blessed to be part of such a wonderful company that encompasses leadership, learning, and ownership for what I love doing. The Leadership meeting last week really made me feel part of a family and not just another employee in the crowd/organization. I felt genuine love for one another and embodied the CAPLICO mantra. I learned a lot from the Think Tank sessions and am looking forward to rebooting clinical partnerships, LTC programming, and Culture within my facility.”
Sounds like she is going to fit in just fine! 
Roy's Corner Legacy of Leadership
Congratulations to Our New Keystone CTOs!
Submitted by Jon Anderson, Senior Therapy Resource 
Jennifer Henderson, OTR, DOR, Parklane West, San Antonio, Texas 
Jennifer Henderson, OTR, DOR at Parklane West, has been with our organization since 2016. Jennifer started out her career as a high school math teacher and then later decided to become an OT because she felt a calling to help older adults. During the Legend acquisition, she came over as a DOR from Sonterra Healthcare Center in San Antonio, Texas, and later decided to take a short break and become a full-time treating OT who helped several of our facilities in the San Antonio area. However, another opportunity landed in our laps with Parklane West, and Jennifer stepped up and once again became a DOR leading Parklane Therapy. Read On...
Casey Murphy, PT, DOR, Healthcare Resort of Plano, Texas 
Casey has been with Keystone-affiliated facilities for a little over four years. He began his journey as a field therapy resource and moved into a DOR/resource hybrid role at the Healthcare Resort of Plano when an urgent need emerged. As he saw the potential and needs of the facility grow, he made the decision to solely take on the DOR role, and the results the facility has seen since he made this decision have been phenomenal. Casey’s development of systems for PDPM and Managed Care have helped the facility effectively manage their skilled short-term patients, and he frequently wears a Case Manager hat among many others. Casey’s embracement of Outpatient programming is what has really set them afire! Read On...
Quin Hall, SLP, DOR, Legend Oaks Healthcare, Paris, Texas 
Quin Hall started as a treating SLP at Legends Ennis, in Ennis, Texas, where he took their speech program to new heights in a few short months. He took the opportunity as the Director of Rehabilitation at Legend Oaks Healthcare and Rehabilitation in Paris, Texas, in November 2020. At the time he joined the team, there were only five therapists, and the department was struggling with culture, programming, and metrics. Now they are 13 strong and growing while being fiercely competitive in metrics and mentoring other buildings in how to recreate some of their programs. The culture that Quin has created in the Therapy department has spread throughout the entire facility. Read On...
Monica Sharp, PTA, TPM, Mesa Springs, Abilene, Texas 
Monica Sharp joined Wisteria Place in Abilene, Texas in October 2015 following a role in Fort Worth with pediatrics. She returned to Abilene to be near family and has been a part of our Keystone family in Abilene ever since. She jumped right in as a treating therapist assistant and embodied the culture at Wisteria to make a difference in the lives of our residents there. When the opportunity for a therapy program manager opened up at nearby Mesa Springs, Monica seized the moment and has been the TPM there since August 2018. When she took the helm of the team, there were seven therapists in the department. She has grown the team to 12 therapists and has led them to the top in the state for many therapy metrics. Read On...
Megan Wickliff, OTR, DOR, The Phoenix Post Acute Care, Texas City, Texas
Allow me to introduce you to Megan Wickliff. There is no way to truly capture the true greatness of Megan within this paragraph, but I hope to provide a level of insight into the caliber of leadership she possesses. Megan has been the DOR of the Phoenix Healthcare and Rehab facility for over five years. This facility has come through many challenges, and Megan has stoically remained the pillar of strength for so many. She has made it her mission to make sure Therapy is never a contributor to the effects of having a silo. She crosses the invisible lines of duties and is always readily available to lend a hand in the Nursing, Social Services, Marketing, and Activities departments. Read On...
Shayla Goode, SLP, DOR, Copperfield Healthcare & Rehabilitation, Houston, TX 
Shayla Goode has been at the Copperfield facility for over four years. She first began her role as a staff SLP, shortly after she transitioned into the role of ADOR. Shayla would playfully say that she didn’t think she could ever be ready to fill a role as the DOR. The time came, and with a gentle push, Shayla accepted the position of DOR at the Copperfield facility. For those not familiar with this facility, I must share that they have been the facility to watch when it comes to managed care penetration in the Keystone East market. They have been the drivers for navigating efficient ways to manage the needs of those patients. Shayla has played a pivotal role in building such a strong foundational relationship with each of her case managers. She has led the charge of educating not only her Rehab team, but also the IDT about how to be quality partners with our case managers. Read On...
Know Your Why
Submitted by Kelly Schwarz, Therapy Resource, Bandera, Arizona
The therapists at Horizon Post Acute and Rehabilitation Center in Glendale, Arizona, have embraced LTC programming and formed special bonds with their residents. One such resident, Alex, has seemed down lately, and his participation in therapy has wavered. The therapists asked him if there was anything they could do to lift his spirits. Alex responded that he missed going out to get a beer and dinner at restaurants with his friends. Three therapists who typically work with him — Johnathan Kingsley, PT; Kayleen Bennett, OT; and Zach Montgomery, PTA — quickly sprang into action. They were able to get an order from his MD to have a beer and a pass for socialization to the community.

The three therapists spent their day off on a weekend with Alex, taking him in their car to a restaurant of his choice to enjoy a beer, great barbeque and live music. Everyone had a great time! When they all returned to the facility, Alex kept repeating, “This is the best day of my life. Thank you all so much!” The therapists all say it is a day they will never forget as well.
Passion for Learning
Be at the Forefront of Change 
By Tanya Estrada, COTA/L, TPM, Tempe Post Acute Care, Tempe, Arizona
There is always something we can learn! We had the pleasure of having our Therapy team at Tempe Post Acute collaborate with Melissa Ricciardelli, DOR, OTR/L, from Coronado Healthcare. Melissa was able to educate our team on the importance of integrating social participation and leisure-centered tasks for our long-term care residents. Our therapists have been very interested in how we can help our residents live their lives to the fullest, and we are so fortunate to have this connection in Bandera. We would love to share updates on how this meet and greet impacts our programming here at Tempe. A huge thank-you to Melissa for passing on her love for LTC programming to my team here at Tempe Post Acute!  
Be Part of the Curriculum 
By Mira Waszak, Therapy Resource, Pennant Washington
Sravanthi Dasari, DOR at Redmond Care and Rehab, recently attended the University of Washington PT Job Fair. One of the students approached the table but realized we were in post- acute care and said, “Not interested, thank you.” Sravanthi asked why, then offered not only him but his classmates an invitation to visit Redmond one day to show them how to dignify LTC in the eyes of the world.  
At the end of the students’ visit at Redmond, they all said it wasn’t what they thought. The negative stigma was lifted, and they said they would recommend the setting to their classmates. Some even gave their contact information to be considered for positions after graduation. The Washington DORs, along with Scott Hollander, will be connecting with the universities in Washington to be a part of their curriculum! Our next connection will be at the end of June, presenting to COTA students on LTC programming and participating in mock interviews.  
Pictured: ST, PT, OT group showcasing its “never too late” programming for University of Washington DPT students
Giving Purpose to Life
Submitted by Ryan Hough, Therapy Resource, Nebraska
Staci Slater, OT at Omaha Nursing & Rehabilitation, shared this great story about giving purpose to life and her support to further her patients’ education.

JG is a 27-year-old male who sustained a C3-4 SCI when he was 24 years old secondary to a MVA. This patient has a high school degree and enlisted in the U.S. Navy for three years following high school. He is residing in LTC following acute rehab. His goal is to return to his mother’s home following home modifications. JG has a power TNS wheelchair that he is able to maneuver using head control. He enjoys playing X-Box using Quad Stick mouth control, and he has a head control mouse that he uses to control his phone and computer. His computer is also accessible with the use of Dragon Naturally Speaking in combination with the use of his head mouse.
Educational Nugget:
Association Physical Activity and Risk of Depression
Submitted by Jessica Foster, Therapy Resource, Bandera, Arizona
What are they saying? (**Definition of PA – Physical Activity)
The Message
The connection between physical activity and a lower risk of depression is well-known, but less is understood about the extent to which higher amounts of PA result in lower risks for depression. Researchers who analyzed the results of 15 studies involving more than 190,000 participants believe they've come closer to an answer: Yes, there is a dose-response relationship, they write, but it's most significant (and predictable) at the lower end of the PA spectrum. Overall, they assert, if less-active adults in the studies had met current PA recommendations, one in nine cases of depression could've been prevented. Read On...
Abilities Care Training in Washington 
By Mira Waszak, Therapy Resource – Pennant Washington
It was a great day of learning for the Pennant Washington group. Thank you to Elyse Matson, Amanda Grace, Kelly Alvord, and Kelly Wallerstedt!
Employee Mixer Shares the Love 
Submitted by Jamie Funk, Therapy Recruiting Resource
On May 12, Andy Cisneros, Therapy Recruiting Resource, helped host a first-ever employee mixer in San Antonio and invited all staff to attend. A good time was had by all that night, and our staff was shown the love they deserve. That love was felt by D’Ann Seaman, a guest of one of our Therapy Resources, Kathey Fawn — so much so that she decided she wanted to join our family. On May 18, D’Ann was hired as a Physical Therapist at Parklane. Kathey shared that another PT, Elizabeth, is interviewing at four of their facilities to see which building fits her best. They also hired SLP Krystal Sandoval who attended the mixer and will join Patriot Heights on June 20.
New Hire Coffee Connection 
By Denny Davis, Therapy Resource – Bandera - Arizona
Bandera East had its first New Hire Coffee Connection Meeting to help with retention, education, communication and culture. DOR Kathleen “Katie” Deichert, OT from Mission Palms, started this on the east side on April 29. We had three new hires (all new grads) and two current students (hopefully new hires in the future!) who attended, and it was a great success! They were very excited to meet other therapists and form relationships and connections with others within the organization. 
 
We made it fun by playing two games to get to know each other, such as Left, Right, Center (which had a $15 grand prize!) and a Kahootz quiz covering a little bit of everything, including some background on Bandera, CAPLICO, billing, documentation and some general PDPM information to help introduce some different topics. 
Farm Life Brings Joy to Residents
By Dawn Boisvert, TPM/PTA, Millennium Post Acute Care, West Columbia, SC
Here at Millennium Post-Acute Rehab, we are adding a little farm life into our residents’ stay. We are located in West Columbia, South Carolina, and there is a lot of farmland in our neighboring towns. Our awesome COTA, Missy Harmon, works hard to bring a little comfort home to our residents and our Millennium staff.

Our residents really enjoy watching the hatching process. Every March, Missy provides a hatching calendar, fertilized eggs from her brother-in-law’s farm, incubator, lighting, housing containers, feed, wood shavings and any other items needed. Our residents love to watch our chicks hatch and grow!

Last year, we hatched Bantam chicks, and we were lucky enough to keep one as our "therapy chicken." PT-y (Petey) is our Millennium mascot and pet. Our residents enjoy feeding, holding and petting her. PT-y loves to lie on her back for belly rubs. This year, we hatched Pekin ducklings, Guinea chicks, and Quail chicks. PT-y will remain our therapy pet, but all the other chicks and ducklings go to local farms in the area to live. We are so blessed to have a staff member who invests so much into bringing joy and a little touch of farm life to our residents.
Introducing Rock Creek Care Home
Serving the dementia population in East Central Kansas
Submitted by Alison Vandeloo, OTR/L, DOR, Rock Creek of Ottawa, KS
Rock Creek of Ottawa has recently acquired a 10-bed special care home in Ottawa, Kansas, to better serve the dementia population in our community! It is a Home Plus, meaning it is a small, 10-bed home in a residential neighborhood. The Rock Creek of Ottawa rehab team has begun to roll out the Abilities Care Program to ensure our clinical partners and family members of the residents get adequate training on how to provide the most patient-centered care. They have also started hosting a monthly Dementia Caregiver Support Group, open to all members of the community, to create positive and helpful dialogue on how to best support individuals with dementia. 
The Results Are In! Blood Flow Restriction Training (BFR) at Irondale (Update) 
By David Schlachtenhaufen, PTA, DORiTO Graduate, Irondale Post Acute, Commerce City, Colorado
At Irondale Post Acute, we have been improving outcomes for our patient population using BFR in combination with therapeutic exercise, therapeutic activities, and low-intensity walking. As a part of the BFR program initiative, we collected data on five patients who were engaged in BFR training three to five times per week. Patients were assessed at baseline, two weeks, four weeks, six weeks, and eight weeks using the 30-second sit-to-stand, the six-minute walk test, and the timed up and go. All individuals involved demonstrated impressive improvements in functional outcomes. We have successfully incorporated BFR into the care plans of over a dozen patients and have completed hundreds of sessions with no adverse effects. 
The Team That Plays Together, Stays Together! By Kelly Schwarz, Therapy Resource, Bandera, Arizona
Peoria Post Acute Care celebrated their accomplishments in therapy by going axe-throwing as a team. Honestly, even as such a successful team that celebrated receiving the Ensign Flag in April, this is the first time they have been able to celebrate a success as a therapy team outside of the building. They have their own potlucks, T-shirts, pizza parties and other indoor events, but they were super excited to get out.  
Charles Tan, DPT, ADOR, came up with the following slogan: “Group Therapy, it’s not just for the residents.” He added, “I had an awesome time celebrating with my team! Our department’s success is definitely a team effort!” 
We Met in Group Therapy 
Submitted by Katie Le Grande Kitchen, PTA, Rock Canyon Respiratory & Rehab, Pueblo, Colorado
Sally and Leslee came to Rock Canyon in Pueblo, Colorado, for their rehab stay this spring. The two ladies both joined group therapy sessions early in their stay here with us at Rock Canyon. As they laughed and worked next to each other in the group therapy sessions, they got to know each other. 

Sally and Leslie began spending time together and talking outside of the therapy group sessions and learned that they went to high school together. Not only did they go to the same high school, but they were best friends! How incredible to meet up again after all those years during group exercise programs. That’s the miracle of bringing people together for a therapy group. 

Sally stated, “I have loved doing group therapy! It has been one of my favorite parts of doing rehab this time around.”
Smoothies for Everyone!🍹🍹
Submitted by Lito Ortiz, Therapy Resource, Monument, California
Our very own Tiki Bar/Juice Bar at St. Catherine Healthcare, Fullerton, CA.
Rose Villa’s Puppet Making Group
Submitted by Loren Penuliar, OT, DOR, Rose Villa, Bellflower, California