Copley at Stoughton

Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center

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Summer at Copley

by Steven Tyer

Boating is a favorite summertime activity – particularly here in New England, where there is no shortage of beautiful waterways. You might be surprised to hear that boating is also a favorite activity for many Copley at Stoughton residents. Each summer, we reserve space on a charter boat for a Cape Cod Canal Cruise. It’s the perfect summer outing – all the fun and adventure of a sea cruise, but safely protected from the high winds and waves.

Is this a normal outing for a skilled nursing home? Perhaps not at other facilities, but it certainly is at Copley. One of the myths about skilled nursing facilities is that residents sit around inside all day playing Bingo. Don’t get us wrong, Bingo is popular at Copley, but in the summer months, we feel there is so much more to do.

Outdoor activities start with the facility itself. Our fully furnished outdoor patio is a great place to spend an afternoon with family or to sit and enjoy a book. Each summer season Copley hires a few additional staff for our activities department so our residents can enjoy our outdoor space as much as possible. Residents also enjoy gardening and walking the grounds. Cheryl Woodward, who plans all our activities, posts an upcoming schedule of events so that residents can plan accordingly. We’ve found that the excitement of an upcoming event is almost as important as the event itself! Besides the Cape Cod Canal cruises, there are shopping trips, restaurant outings, and other activities. Cheryl is always on the lookout for new adventures; feel free to call her if you have a suggestion.

These summer outings are important for our residents. Not only do they provide a great way to enjoy the nice weather, but these events also dramatically increase our residents’ quality of life – keeping them active and mentally engaged. As we always like to say, our residents don’t have time to sit around much! 

You can read more about the Copley lifestyle here: https://copleystoughton.com/lifestyle/ and of course, don’t hesitate to contact me personally if you have any questions or to book a tour.

Happy Summer!

Steve Tyer

MassHealth an Incredible Program for Many of Our Residents

by Steven Tyer

MassHealth is a safety net for many of our residents. The state agency oversees Medicaid, the federal program that provides health coverage for low-income individuals. That includes nursing homes, assisting individuals with the monthly cost of their care that they would not have otherwise been able to afford.

However, there has been an alarming trend in MassHealth funding lately. Perhaps you’ve heard that the rates paid to nursing homes are based on 2007 costs. That means despite rising costs, all nursing homes caring for MassHealth residents still receive payments calculated on costs that they’ve incurred over 12 years ago. Copley has the same cost increases in labor, utilities, and food that you have in your own home – just on a much larger scale.

Tara Gregorio, the president of the Massachusetts Senior Care Association, and Naomi Prendergast, president and CEO of D’Youville Life and Wellness Community in Lowell have “sounded the alarm” about rates being too low. “This is a severely underfunded system,” Gregorio told CommonWealth Magazine’s The Codcast. They are calling for a restructuring of the program and funding based on more current costs. You can listen to the whole podcast and read an article based on their conversation here.

Copley at Stoughton fully supports this initiative. We see the tremendous impact MassHealth has for our residents and their families. But many nursing homes in Massachusetts are on the verge of bankruptcy, which will have an impact on many more residents and the industry as a whole.

Thankfully, that’s not the case for Copley at Stoughton. I credit our staff 100% for the great job they do ensuring our residents receive the care they need. In a previous blog post, I talked about how our staff routinely goes above and beyond budgets to provide outstanding care. This is part of the reason why we are consistently ranked one of the “Best Nursing Homes in the United States.” 

We believe in a strong skilled nursing home industry. We are optimistic that MassHealth will adjust their payment structure soon, thanks to the hard work of people like Tara Gregorio and Naomi Prendergast. But no matter what the outcome, Copley will remain a strong community partner providing care that goes above and beyond.

You can find out more about applying for MassHealth for your skilled nursing care home needs HERE. 

The Meaning of “Loved One” at Copley

by Steven Tyer

End-of-life care is so difficult, especially when your loved ones are no longer able to make their own choices. My father, who recently passed, was a resident at Copley at Stoughton. Having him here at Copley helped me look at the facility from both sides: as an administrator and as a family member of a resident. These insights guide me and help make Copley the skilled nursing facility that it is today.

I was lucky that it was a short walk up the hall to stop by for a meal or just to talk. The staff members here were great with him too, and not just because he was my father. They take good care of every resident, providing them with all that they need whether it’s a helping hand or offering a hand to hold. Residents are never alone at Copley. I’m extremely pleased with the level of attention our staff gives residents from day-to-day activities or end-of-life care. That’s where a community-based facility really excels.

I trust that other family members feel that community spirit at Copley, too. I was struck with the realization about how many physicians choose Copley for their loved ones. Doctors have their ear to the ground, and they know which nursing homes are which. The fact they choose Copley tells me we’re on the right track – being part of a community is truly important to people.

Saying goodbye though is never easy. Obviously, that was especially true with my father – it was one of the toughest things I’ve had to do. But it made me realize how connected the staff and I are with all residents here. They are our friends, our neighbors, and our loved ones, too. They are never simply names on a file folder that get shuffled from one box to another.

Did I make all the right choices for my father? I’d like to believe I did. I do know that I was proud he could call Copley home. He was constantly surrounded by people who cared about him. Could we ask for anything better?

Employee Spotlight: Cheryl Woodward

by Steven Tyer

Activity Directors at Skilled Nursing Facilities play a vital role in developing and implementing different activities that will engage residents, give them something to look forward to and encourage socialization.

Cheryl Woodward has been our Activities Director for ten years now, planning and implementing the daily and annual activities for our residents. Cheryl lives locally in Taunton, MA and in her free time enjoys painting, decorating, arts and crafts and anything that gets her creative juices flowing.

Cheryl works hard to reconnect our residents with the hobbies they love to make their lives feel fulfilled and meaningful. Each month a thoughtfully planned calendar outlining activities gives residents something to look forward to, which helps tremendously with their mental well-being. There are also many events that occur on a regular basis including coffee hour & word games to keep residents minds sharp, fitness fun to encourage an active lifestyle, painting classes for artistic residents, spa days, restaurant outings, casino trips and more! Cheryl’s favorite activities to plan are the ones that involve bringing the resident’s families together. Some of the annual family events are the Winter Holiday Celebration in December and National Nursing Home Week in May.

Each season, our residents work collectively on a mural that graces the front lobby of Copley. Each resident participating is given one to two squares of a larger picture to complete. The individual paintings are then put together and revealed to the residents in a grand unveiling ceremony. This is one of the most looked forward to events each season as it takes hours of hard work and dedication. Cheryl started incorporating these murals into our activities three years ago, and past and present residents have now completed twelve collaborative murals, and we recently started donating the older ones to town buildings. Our spring 2015 mural entitled “April Showers Bring May Flowers” is on display at the Stoughton Public Library. Be sure to check it out if you are in the area.

Cheryl enjoys working here for many reasons but said that what she appreciates most about her job is how it feels like home. It is not only a comfortable environment, but she loves the people she works alongside and the special bond she has with our residents.

Skilled Nursing Facility Myths vs. Realities

by Steven Tyer

There are many unflattering stigmas associated with skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). So for this month’s blog, we want to take the opportunity to dispel some of these “un-truths” and shine some light on the realities of being a guest or resident at Copley at Stoughton.

Myth 1:

The food is awful and residents are malnourished

The Reality:

Proper nutrition is one of the main concerns of staff members at a skilled nursing facility, especially here at Copley. It is crucial to provide residents with proper nutrition to keep them healthy and feeling their best. Our registered dietitian Deb and head chef Bobbi Jo work hard to make sure each specialized diet plan is providing residents with the proper nutrients to make sure their dietary needs are being met. We must go above and beyond to make sure all guests and residents enjoy our menus.

A few of our favorite dishes here at Copley are the pan seared scallops over baby greens, the complete Thanksgiving turkey dinner and the daily breakfasts served in the dining room. We also strive to make every attempt to fulfill individual requests at each meal.

Myth 2:

Skilled Nursing Facilities smell

The Reality:

This myth is commonly associated with the fact that some older adults are incontinent due to medical issues. Properly cleaned facilities like Copley not only use highly effective products to avoid odors from building up, but also have trained staff members who thoroughly cleanse residents before odors become an issue. Of course, there will be odors in areas where we care for residents at certain times, but those odors should never affect the lobby or common areas.

Myth 3:

All residents do is play Bingo

The Reality:

There is no denying that we LOVE Bingo here at Copley and fit it into our schedules numerous times each week, but we do more than just Bingo. All skilled nursing facilities have activity directors on site to plan various activities on a daily basis that are mentally, physically and socially stimulating. We get our residents involved in seasonal murals, weekly art classes, a yearly harbor cruise, live musical performances, group story writing, restaurant and casino outings and much more!

Myth 4:

Residents are lonely

The Reality:

Transitioning into a new living situation can be difficult for anyone, regardless of their age. Adjusting is something that takes time, sometimes up to 6 months to even a year. By transitioning, we mean residents being fully engaged in activities, the dining room, and facility outings. Residents often meet many people during their stay with common interests, allowing them to bond and form friendships with one another.  We are very aware of this transition process with new residents and make sure that we do everything in our power to make the process easier for them. We also like to encourage families to visit whenever they can to bring a sense of familiarity to their loved ones as long as they’re not interfering with the care of other residents. We also encourage all resident to bring some personal items to make it feel more like their home.

It is important that we do not fall victim to believing everything we read or hear. Do your research, visit and don’t let one bad experience with a skilled nursing facility speak for them all.  We encourage you to visit our facility at any time for a tour! Check out our website here: https://copleystoughton.com/

 

 

 

 

Sources:

http://www.therubins.com/homes/stathome.htm

http://www.nmhca.org/myths