Copley at Stoughton

Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center

Call us today at 781-341-2300

Locally Owned

Helping Others Find a Career Path

by Steven Tyer

Setting out to find a career is an exciting, yet terrifying time in everyone’s life. It’s easy to wonder – am I choosing the right path? What if I end up not liking the job?  Am I wasting my time? All of these questions are completely legitimate, but having a mentor to turn to for advice and guidance can make the journey less terrifying.

When we look back on when we first embarked on our career paths, there is usually a special someone who helped shape our careers by sharing their knowledge and past experiences. While it is said that struggles prove to be one of life’s greatest teachers, a mentor can help guide you through those struggles.

We’ve always taken mentoring very seriously. In fact, we encourage our staffs’ children and close family friends to shadow our employees if they show an interest in nursing, physical or occupational therapy or administration.  As a locally-owned and managed facility, we can offer an exceptional learning environment with hands-on experience. We have employees that started as CNAs that are now RNs, nursing station secretaries that have gone on to nursing school and students from Blue Hills Technical School who have finished their technical hours at our facility.

Jill Owens is the MDS Coordinator here at Copley. As an MDS Coordinator, Jill’s daily tasks consist of assessing the quality of the emotional, mental and physical care that is given to long-term patients. She started as a CNA back in 1995 and has since worked her way through nursing school and up to a management position that is very important for the everyday function of our facility, staff, and patients.

We open our doors and not only welcome but encourage younger generations to use our facility and our well-trained staff as a source of knowledge for their future. Know someone looking for hands-on experience in nursing or any part of the skilled nursing field? We would love to hear from them and learn how we can work together to start them on their way to a rewarding career. Whether it is through volunteering, interning or finishing up technical hours, there are many opportunities to learn and grow in any field if you put yourself out there!

The Season of Giving

by Steven Tyer

As we approach the holidays, we begin to reflect on how thankful we are and how much we appreciate those around us. Here at Copley, this time of year brings us many opportunities to show our staff how grateful we are for them. Not that their efforts ever go unnoticed, but the holiday season gives us the chance to slow down and let them know how valued they are.

Our Employee Appreciation Awards took place on November 9th; we had the opportunity to take a break from our hectic routines to enjoy each other’s company over lunch while we recognized our employees. We kicked off the awards acknowledging those with perfect attendance. We are always amazed by the number of staff members we have here with perfect attendance, it really speaks to their dedication!

Next, we honor those who have been here for two, five, ten and twenty years. Each year we see more and more repeat faces filling our annual awards, and it gives us a great deal of pride to know that we are doing something correctly to keep our team around. It brings us joy to hear comments throughout the community about our dedicated team of professionals because if it weren’t for them, it would be impossible for us to operate as we do.

Another annual event we look forward to is the Thanksgiving pie delivery that fills our conference room with fresh apple pies from Whitey’s bakery. Each staff member is able to take one home to enjoy with their loved ones on Thanksgiving.

As we head into December we begin to organize our Giving Tree. Each staff member gets to pick an envelope off of the tree and receive a mystery gift card. This is such a great way to end the year and show our appreciation.

On December 14th we will be hosting our annual Holiday Reception from 5:30PM – 8:00PM for our residents, guests, staff and families. Wishing a warm holiday season filled with rest and relaxation to you and your loved ones!

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

Protect your Skin this Summer

by Steven Tyer

Summer is finally here, and as much as we welcome the sun, it is important to remember that the older you get, the more sensitive your skin becomes to harmful UV rays.  Each time our residents are outside, regardless of the amount of time they will be spending in the sun, we make sure that our nurses protect their skin with sunscreen. Protection with a SPF 15 or higher on a daily basis can dramatically decrease skin aging.

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, the older you get, the higher your risk becomes for skin cancer, and if you’ve had more than five sunburns in your lifetime, your risk of melanoma doubles.

Here are some tips on how to enjoy the sun without sacrificing your health;

  1. Apply SPF 15 or higher on a daily basis, especially to your face, whether you are going to the beach or just to work! Learn more about what your sunscreen label is actually saying HERE.
  2. Consider investing in clothing with SPF! It is a great way to further protect your skin from those harmful UV rays. Check out some SPF clothing HERE.
  3. Seek shade! UV rays are the most harmful between 10AM and 4PM.
  4. Wear sunglasses. Good sunglasses with UV-blocking properties are a necessity when it comes to protecting the sensitive skin around your eyes as well as your eyes in general!
  5. Avoid tanning beds at ALL COSTS. They have been linked with increased risks of melanoma.

Stay aware of what is happening with your skin and keep an eye on any concerning freckles or moles. When giving yourself a skin check, keep in mind the ABCDE rule that the American Cancer Society recommends:

  • A is for Asymmetry: One half of a mole or birthmark does not match the other.
  • B is for Border: The edges are irregular, ragged, notched, or blurred.
  • C is for Color: The color is not the same all over and may include shades of brown or black, or sometimes with patches of pink, red, white, or blue.
  • D is for Diameter: The spot is larger than 6 millimeters across (about ¼ inch – the size of a pencil eraser), although melanomas can sometimes be smaller than this.
  • E is for Evolving: The mole is changing in size, shape, or color.

There is plenty of information on the hazards of UV rays and the risks of skin cancer/sun damage, but it is not all doom and gloom, if you are proactive with protection. And remember, you are susceptible to harmful UV rays 12 months of the year, not just in the summer months.