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May 2, 2002/Nisan 30, 5763 Vol. 55, No. 36
Kivel recognized for outstanding care
JESSICA BARBER
Staff Writer
Dignity and respect are among the top priorities of staff members at Kivel Campus of Care in Phoenix, a nursing home for the elderly that strives to make its environment a home away from home. The efforts of the 180-staff-member institution, specifically the Aleph Unit for those residents with dementia and Alzheimer's disease, were recently recognized by the Alzheimer's Association for facilitating outstanding care for seniors.
The recognition included a special mention of the efforts of Kathy Schumacher, LPN, and the Aleph Unit nurse manager, and her 24-member staff.
"We're about giving our residents the best and safest care that we can and making Kivel a home environment," says Schumacher. "We try to treat the residents with the utmost respect and dignity that they deserve."
The award was a result of a grant given to Kivel by the Alzheimer's Association for the "Proving Palliative Care to Persons with Advanced Dementia" program, in which a nurse from the association observed Kivel's services to provide suggestions on how to improve resident care.
"We had already implemented a lot of things the association was hoping were going to be new techniques for us," says Schumacher. "We were recognized because they could see how our environment is like a home, how none of my staff are ever angry or upset with the residents and how comfortable it is to be here."
Among the new techniques implemented at Kivel are the bed bath technique and diversion techniques for behavior management.
"With the dementia folks, every minute is new to them so it's difficult to expect them to be familiar with taking a shower in a place that they can't remember having been before," explains Schumacher. "Allowing them to have a warm bed bath versus a shower is very beneficial."
A bed bath allows a resident to remain in bed while they are massaged with warm towels and soapy water, remaining covered at all times for privacy, says Schumacher. A resident is then rinsed with towels containing clean water.
Because Schumacher and her staff deal with patients afflicted with dementia or Alzheimer's disease around the clock, behavior management techniques are important.
"We have different behavior management techniques," says Schumacher. "We look for the cause of the problem and try to get to the root of it instead of automatically treating someone with drugs."
To avoid injury, Kivel provides beds that are low to the ground with mats on either side and Adirondack chairs to allow easier sitting and standing capabilities. The facility is also outfitted with alarms that will alert staff to potential problems.
"Our unit is very calm most of the time," says Schumacher. "We do have our days of course, but our residents are happy and they are not stressed out about being here."
The Aleph Unit can accommodate 40 residents, but is currently serving 38. The unit's staff includes day, evening and overnight nurses and certified nursing assistants, recreation staff, social service staff, a team leader and Schumacher. Altogether, Kivel accommodates 191 residents in the nursing home and has the capacity for 256 residents in its HUD-subsidized apartments.
"I was really pleased to receive this award because Kathy (Schumacher) works really hard and is very dedicated to providing this kind of care to our residents," says Hank Arens, Kivel's director of community services. "I think it is wonderful that the unit was recognized, but I think it extends to all the different units and the overall care that we provide at Kivel."
As part of the award, Shumacher has been invited to attend the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center's annual conference, scheduled June 5-6 in San Diego. The association will pay her tuition and traveling expenses.
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