April 2021
Welcome to the Weinberg Campus newsletter, dedicated to sharing news
and information with employees, residents, families and special friends.
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Message From The President |
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“When in April the sweet showers fall
That pierce March’s drought to the root and all
And bathed every vein in liquor that has power
To generate therein and sire the flower”
-Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Canterbury Tales”
Many believe that this passage from Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales,” dating to the Fourteenth Century, is the source of our saying “April showers bring May flowers.” Actually, the origin of the saying goes all the way back to a short poem by Thomas Tusser, written in 1157.
“Sweet April showers Do spring May flowers”
Nonetheless, I still like Chaucer’s image of April’s showers piercing March’s drought. We have experienced a long drought of family members being able to visit their loved ones here at Weinberg. Because of New York State regulations, visitation has been significantly limited across our campus, particularly in Rosa Coplon Living Center. But I am very heartened by recent changes in health department guidance that opens up visitation in all our facilities. While certain limitations exist, including needing to schedule appointments for visits, I am grateful that we can now arrange visits between residents and their loved ones on a much more consistent basis. I know how much this means to our residents and their family members.
Once again, I want to thank everyone in the Weinberg Family for their understanding, cooperation, and support during the pandemic. It has not been easy for any of us. And I cannot express thanks enough to our devoted staff members. They have worked tirelessly to keep our residents healthy and safe while developing innovative programming that has promoted resident well-being.
I wish everyone a bright, healthy, and happy spring.
If you have questions or comments, I encourage you to reach out to any member of our leadership team, or contact me directly at (716) 639-3311 ext. 2468 or [email protected].
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Our family letters last week outlined the updates in visitation guidance from the Department of Health. Please visit the family portal on our website for guidance pertaining to your loved one's specific residence on campus.
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Weinberg Campus Expands
Family Choice Availability
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We are excited to share that we are offering the Independent Health Medicare Family Choice Plan to Dosberg Manor and Garden House residents. Rosa Coplon Living Center residents have benefited from this program for years, and because of its success, we are expanding its availability to our assisted living residents.
What is Family Choice?
The Family Choice plan has been providing an extra level of care and support to residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Erie, Niagara, and Genesee counties for over 15 years. The program offers an integrated team of nurse practitioners, physician assistants, medical directors, and social workers who work with residents and their families to address their healthcare needs right where they live.
How Does it Work?
Plan members are assigned a Family Choice Nurse Practitioner (NP) and a Social Worker who work in collaboration with Weinberg Campus’ staff to develop an individualized care plan that addresses the member’s specific health needs, as well as proactively identify potential issues before they become serious. The Family Choice NP keeps in close contact with the resident’s family and primary care provider, ensuring they are involved in the care planning process.
When Can My Loved One Enroll?
Dosberg Manor and Garden House residents have the option to enroll in the Family Choice Independent Health Medicare Plan effective May 1st. After that, enrollment occurs on a rolling basis and goes into effect the first of every month.
How Can I Learn More?
Responsible parties will receive a mailer in the coming weeks with more information about this healthcare plan. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Community Liaison, Liz DeJac-Wirth, at [email protected], or by calling 716-668-7051.
This specialized program will allow us to continue focusing on what matters most – enhancing the quality of life and quality of care of our residents by making sure they receive the healthcare services they need, when they need it. The Family Choice team serves as an additional resource to our already qualified and devoted staff and will be available 24/7 should any resident need immediate medical attention.
We are thrilled to offer this healthcare opportunity to our assisted living residents and look forward to welcoming the Family Choice team as an extension of our Weinberg Campus family.
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Dosberg Manor & Garden House to Adopt
Point Click Care System
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Dosberg Manor and Garden House are preparing for the implementation of a new electronic medical record system called Point Click Care. This system is currently used in Rosa Coplon Living Center.
The new system offers numerous advantages to our Assisted Living communities. It will streamline our current documentation systems and will enable us to have access to resident information at our fingertips in electronic format. It will also improve our safeguards for accurate medication administration. In addition, the system allows for managers to review documentation remotely, in real time. This ability to review information remotely has many advantages for managers on evenings and weekends, when questions arise from families or when there is a need to make a clinical assessment. It will enhance communication between management and nursing as well as other departments on and off the campus.
In the near future, residents will notice electronic devices on the medication carts to be used by nurses and medication technicians. We are very excited about the positive benefits this new system will provide. Our managers have been working very hard to enter current documentation into the system and have worked closely with the clinical team at Rosa Coplon to learn best practices for using the system. We are also preparing for a pharmacy integration with Woodmark Pharmacy.
Our ability to streamline documentation in an electronic format will not only result in time savings for our employees, but will ultimately allow us to increase our quality assurance to our residents.
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A Day in the Life:
Assisted Living
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When living at home may no longer be a safe option, Garden House offers assistance and social interaction in comfortable, secure surroundings. Garden House offers three types of care:
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Enhanced Assisted Living - for those with physical health challenges that require additional medical care, such as specialized diets, diabetic care, help getting up and down, wound care, and colostomy bags.
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Special Needs Memory Care - for those who require specialized memory care services, more intense supervision, and a safer, more secure environment that meets the evolving needs of cognitive challenges.
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Special Needs Memory Care with Enhanced Assistance - this includes 24/7 care, personal care services (grooming, bathing, dressing, and feeding), case management, housekeeping, laundry, support with daily activities, medication assistance and medical care.
Home care services are also available, as well as advanced medical care support, medication and diabetic management, assistance with oxygen, catheter, and ostomy care. Garden House is a great example of Weinberg Campus’ continuum of care, as many residents have been referred from other houses on campus to continue their aging journey.
So, what’s a day in the life at Garden House like?
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“Garden House is a beautiful state-of-the-art program,” says Dana Notaro, Administrator of Garden House. “Residents can roam freely within the large open spaces and common areas – all built with natural light throughout.” There are two sides to the building, one servicing our Enhanced Assisted Living residents, and the other dedicated to Special Needs Memory Care. Both areas have private enclosed courtyards for residents to enjoy, where they have the option to walk on the custom-built paths, sit and relax, and/or simply enjoy their time underneath the canopies.
“The physical setup is perfect for our resident population,” says Dana. “With a staff ratio of 8:1, we have the luxury of really getting to know all our residents and connect with them on a deeper level. It’s hard to find that ratio elsewhere.”
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Garden House residents benefit from many amenities, including three nutritious meals per day, a daily visit from the snack and hydration cart, stimulating activities, fireplace lounges, the use of kitchenettes, and more. |
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Hend Habir, RN, Program Manager, oversees the daily operations of Garden House’s nursing team. She manages the nurses and home health aides with the goal of providing safe and efficient care to all the residents, keeping families updated and offering support for any issues that may arise. “I love being a part of the Garden House team. I enjoy all the residents and love seeing them every day,” says Hend. “Every single resident is special to me and I enjoy spending time with them. My staff is also great to work with – we consider Garden House as being part of an extended family.” Fun fact - seven of our aides have been at Weinberg Campus for 20 years or more!
In addition to Hend’s team, Garden House residents also have access to Tania Lawniczak, a nurse practitioner who serves residents through Weinberg’s partnership with Mobile Primary Care.
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Cindy Clark, Garden House Case Manager, works closely with Hend’s team to ensure resident and family needs are addressed, initiating and overseeing the admission and discharge of all residents. She also works closely with families throughout their loved one’s residence to ensure their questions are answered and that they are receiving updates about their loved one. “What I like most about my role is the privilege of being able to provide a dignified, safe and caring home for your loved ones,” says Cindy.
Before the pandemic hit, activities were a crucial part of engagement and stimulation among the residents, but even more so now. The Garden House activities team has gone above and beyond to keep our residents happy and engaged every day, offering activities that they can all enjoy, such as Bingo, exercise, manicures, crafts, kickball, happy hour, and more!
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Brennan Costello, Garden House Activities Director, creates the activity calendar and newsletter each month, and has been managing virtual and in-person visitation for the past few months. “My favorite part of the job is being able to interact with the residents every day and seeing the residents happy and engaged during our activities,” says Brennan. “I really love having time to just sit down and chat with the residents for a little while and learn about them and their lives. Now that spring is finally here, I can’t wait to be able to get outside more and enjoy the sunshine and nice weather!” |
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Brennan’s partner in crime, Tamara Garrett, is our Garden House Activities Assistant. Formerly a Home Health Aide, Tamara has had the privilege of knowing the residents at Garden House for quite some time. Her new role has allowed her to be immersed in running activities, making sure everyone’s interests and needs are met daily. “What I like most about my role is watching our residents have fun by enjoying the games, baking treats, etc.,” says Tamara. “I've adjusted my role throughout the pandemic by doing activities I know our residents love to participate in. I love it when the residents are happy and are engaging in activities they love – their participation makes my day, knowing I made their day a little bit better.” |
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If you're familiar with Garden House, odds are you know our Office Coordinator, Deb Jones. Deb serves as one of the many friendly faces on our unit. She began her career at Weinberg Campus as a Home Health Aide in 2013, and since then has transitioned roles as our Office Coordinator. Whether it's caring for a resident or preparing the team for success, she is happy! "I enjoy getting up and coming to work each day, "says Deb.
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If you’re interested in learning more about life at Garden House, please contact Anna Jacobi at [email protected]. |
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Our activities directors take great pride in keeping residents active with a variety of safe activities that incorporate social distancing and individual participation. As always, you can check out our activities calendars online. Click the links below or visit: www.weinbergcampus.org/News-Events/Activities-Calendar.aspx.
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Weinberg Campus residents celebrated St. Paddy's Day and Easter in style with homemade shamrock shakes, fun hats and beads, and plenty of treats! |
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Every month we have exciting and creative crafts for our residents to make. By the look of these wreaths and decorations, we had some beautiful doors on campus! Residents also look forward to relaxing manicures throughout the month. |
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With warmer weather comes the opportunity to get outside and enjoy the fresh air! Residents enjoyed welcoming spring with fun parties and plenty of trips outside. Pictured above you can also find Forest Creek and Meadows residents enjoying their new "Garden Parlor", and our dietary team celebrating Nutrition Month by delivering healthy and tasty treats to our Rosa Coplon residents. |
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Shyasia Doucette, CNA, Rosa Coplon Living Center
Antiatte Gatson, PCA, Dosberg Manor
Ann Graml, Receptionist
TeKesha Horne, Apartment Manager, Admin
Asia Jones, Unit Nurse Supervisor LPN, Dosberg Manor
Elaina King, Resident Counselor, Greenwood
Adrienne Klein, Housekeeper, Environmental Services
Bernard McFarland, CNA, Rosa Coplon Living Center
Tanisha Mingo, HHA, Garden House
Larkita Singletary, Administrative Assistant, Home Care
Georgina Wilson, PCA, Dosberg Manor
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...from a family member of a Rosa Coplon resident |
"Thank you so much for your many years (10+) of wonderful care and kindness you showed to our mom and our entire family. These past months have been difficult, not being able to visit our mom. But we all know she was safe and comfortable in the home you have created to care for our most vulnerable family members. Again, thank you for your kindness and care." |
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...from a family member of a Dosberg Manor resident |
"Thank you all for your tremendous are, love and concern for our mom. She enjoyed the company and attention of all of you. These last several months not being able to be with her has been beyond hard. Thank you for loving and hugging her for us!"
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