Archives for 2022

In 2016, two nursing homes in Scotland undertook a remarkable project. They created a group program for its residents to see what effects it would have. Administrators there took a scientific approach, studying residents’ reactions to various gardening activities – and they were excited by the results.

Residents were more engaged, both socially and in terms of focusing on daily tasks like caring for their plants. One woman spent more time outside, while another was prompted to start talking more about her grief and her love of nature. Another woman didn’t actively garden herself, but she talked with more of the people who were as she walked the garden pathways.

These benefits are just the tip of the iceberg. We’ve learned from this project and other studies that group activities in general can:

• Reduce loneliness in older people 
• Encourage people to interact more with each other, further reducing loneliness and increasing their social engagements
• Reduce the risk of dementia including Alzheimer’s
• Increase physical activity levels
• Get more residents outside and out of their rooms more often
• Reduce pain
• Improve attention spans
• Lower stress
• Reduce agitation
• Improve a sense of community and inclusion

…and so many other inter-related benefits. In fact, “inter-related” is a key idea here. Group activities create a snowball effect of increasing benefits of more exercise, more socialization, and less isolation and loneliness. 

Incidentally, studies also show that these benefits to residents have a positive effect on staff. It’s not hard to see that reducing stress and agitation in residents while increasing teamwork and community will help staff in their role as caregivers and supporters.

Copley at Stoughton doesn’t have a formalized gardening program, but we do have many group activities. We’ve seen firsthand how beneficial it is to get everyone out of their rooms, moving around, and socializing.

Still, it is reassuring when I see the benefits of group activities written in black and white. This year more than ever, we want to encourage everyone to take part. People thrive on social interactions, and making closer connections keeps us engaged and vibrant.

-Steve Tyer

1. P.S. – you can read about the Scottish gardens here.

On March 8, we celebrated International Women’s Day. It’s a day I take to heart, especially in my industry. Women play a tremendous role in health care. In fact,  statistics show Massachusetts leads the country with the highest percentage of active women physicians. This will continue to grow, as according to a report from the American Medical Association (AMA), more than 53.5% of MD applicants in 2019-2020 came from woman.

Obstetrics in particular, has seen a significant rise in the number of women. My father was an obstetrician, as many of you know, and I remember a time when there were almost no women in that specialty. Today, almost 80% of ob/gyns in the US are women.

These are just a couple, albeit powerful, examples. Here at Copley,  a large percentage of the staff are women. COVID has not been easy on any of us. But it is women who took on the brunt of it. They are the caregivers here at Copley, but they are most often the caregivers at home, too. They carry the emotional workload for everyone. For many, that burden got to be overwhelming at times. These have not been easy times, but they would have been much harder without their commitment to making the best of everything.

If there’s a clear takeaway, it is we should do more to support the women in our lives. That’s something that we can do every day, at work and at home, and not just once a year.

Author Margaret Cousins said it best:

“Appreciation can change a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into all into words is all that is necessary.”

So thank you to all women, especially those who are so dedicated and committed to caring for our Copley residents. We literally could not do what we do without you!

Steve Tyer

Physical rehab after injury, elective surgery, or disease is crucial to recovery – and quality of care has a huge impact. Copley at Stoughton provides some of the best rehab care available right here in the Stoughton area, seven days per week.

 Copley offers what is called subacute rehabilitation. It is for guests who no longer need the acute care a hospital provides, but who are not quite ready to go home on their own. There are many different therapy disciplines. Physical, occupational and speech therapy have some overlap, but they focus on different areas of recovery:

• PT focuses on the skeletal system, helping you regain strength and overall function through exercises, stretches, and other physical activities. Physical therapists are usually the ones overseeing your initial assessments.
• OT, on the other hand, works on motor skills to help you regain specific daily tasks. Occupational therapists will recommend exercises and strategies to help you better adapt to your environment in the short and/or long term.
• Patients may also work with Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) to help with any speech or swallowing issues.

All rehab programs are customized to each individual and depend on the injury, surgery, or disease, how much it affected you, and how much recovery you need. The overall goal is to increase strength, regain gross motor coordination (such as walking), and fine motor coordination (such as using a spoon or pen). Rehab programs for elective surgeries like a hip or knee, typically take anywhere from seven days to two weeks, as it is a planned and controlled program. On the other hand, surgeries like these that result from an accident may take longer, depending on the extent of the injury and the person’s motivation level.

Monitoring your progress is a critical piece of any rehab program, so you can do what will help most and avoid activities that could set you back again. Once your rehab services are completed at an in-house facility, your therapists will provide you with an at-home program to continue making progress. Pain management may be another aspect of rehabilitation, balancing the need to get your body moving again with the need for your body to rest and recover.

There are many unexpected medical situations that require rehabilitation, but if you are preparing for elective surgery, it is important to schedule your rehab services ahead of time whenever possible. For example, if you are requiring a hip, knee, or another type of non-emergency surgery, plan for your rehab too. You have a choice of where to go for rehabilitation services, so take time to do some research to ensure you’re getting the best care possible and one that is a convenient location for your family and you.

Your best bet is to talk to your primary care physician or your specialist to find out what to expect in your specific case. Copley at Stoughton is available to answer any questions and  happy to set up a time to speak to you about our programs so you can make an informed decision.

Steve Tyer, Administrator

There is within the borders of Stoughton a parchment-wrapped record book that states on its first page: “This Book belongs to the Stoughton Musical Society and contains the Rules and Regulations whereby the said Society are governed.” It is dated November 7, 1786, making ours the oldest choral musical society in the United States today.

Why is this important? History is certainly part of it. Stoughton is also one of the oldest towns in America, founded by pilgrims and pioneers who wanted to escape the intolerances of Europe at that time. The tradition continues today. Stoughton famously was the first in Massachusetts to declare itself a “No Place for Hate” town. We have this incredible capacity to be accepting of other people – which is just another way of saying, I think, that we like to be neighborly.

I see that neighborly spirit every day. Copley at Stoughton is not like many of the other nursing homes or skilled nursing facilities. We are much more rooted in community than most. Certainly the fact that we are independent helps. But also the Stoughton spirit permeates the town and everyone in it including Copley. And we are all better for that.

The reason I’m musing on all of this is because we are still going through difficult times. The recent wave seems even harder this time because, well, it’s just been going on so long. We thought we saw light, but it was just a glimpse.

You might wonder why I’m confident we’ll get through it though. I try to imagine the hardships those first pilgrims endured, leaving England for the long ocean voyage to Boston and then heading south through forest and the wilds to stop here in what would become Stoughton. I get so much inspiration from their story, traveling out into the unknown with an open heart. Did it feel like home when they got here? What difficulties did they face? How did they band together to come through the other side okay?

Because they did come out okay, or we wouldn’t be here today. And, we came out of it with the harmonies of the Old Stoughton Musical Society. There is a lesson in that. We come from stronger stuff than we think.

Thank you to all for your words of support over the last several months. And, I hope, we have been a source of support for you too. The health and safety of your loved ones here at Copely are our number one concern, and it’s a responsibility we take seriously. Let’s keep leaning on each other just a little bit longer until the light stays with us for good.

– Steve Tyer