When looking at long-term care for your loved one, you want to know he or she is being cared for by familiar people who are educated, trained, and who take the time to get to know your loved one — in a space that is modern and updated to meet their every need.
Keep reading to learn more about long-term care at Otterbein Cridersville, and the renovations we have made to ensure our residents thrive in the best environment available.
A Place for Individualized Care and Professional Staff
At Otterbein Cridersville, we have a staff dedicated to each individual and recognize personalized care plans for our residents.
“One of the biggest reasons I would recommend Otterbein Cridersville to someone looking for a place to care for their loved one is the continuity of care offered here,” says Melissa Lindsey, director of nursing at Otterbein Cridersville. “I have a very dedicated staff, including many who have been here over 20 years, some even longer.”
“Our team members have the philosophy of putting our patients first … We also have a leadership team we can depend on, with people who are also willing to help on the floor when needed. I think that is a great asset to have.”
Otterbein Cridersville partners regularly take advantage of educational opportunities. “I don’t shy away from an opportunity to educate our staff, whether it be on documentation or wound care, skincare … We’re really focusing a lot on fall prevention and on preventative measures when it comes to skin,” said Lindsey.
Otterbein Cridersville Executive Director Kristin Powell noted Cridersville’s staffing ratios are well above what she said she has seen in the industry.
“Otterbein is committed to always having appropriate staffing levels,” Powell said. “In addition, it’s very much a homelike setting, so the partners know their residents well. They know their preferences and their daily routines. We try to keep staff on a particular unit so that they can build those relationships with residents.”
“They have a consistent nurse and caregiver assigned to long-term care, so they can build those relationships, not only with the resident but with their family as well.”
Modernizing the Skilled Nursing Spaces at Otterbein Cridersville
Currently, Otterbein Cridersville is in the process of renovating the skilled nursing dining area, and the updates are expected to be completed in the summer of 2022.
“We’re renovating the skilled nursing dining area with more up-to-date furnishings, as well as a layout that allows residents to interact more with one another,” Powell said.
The space will feature a farm table, where residents can dine or enjoy activities in a larger group. There’s also a bar area overlooking the cookstove, where the dining team can prepare made-to-order specialties like eggs in front of the residents, as well as seating at the bar.
“People can go up and sit at the bar and have their meals served to them, similar to how they do at a Bob Evans restaurant,” Lindsey added.
In addition to dining services, the space will also be used for activities.
“It’s much more open; we took down a wall that separated the space and made it more like a great room that you would have in your home,” Powell said. “This way, if somebody wants to be at a table, maybe enjoying a snack or coloring or things that are more individualized, they’re still in with the rest of the group.”
The common space will also include a two-sided fireplace, providing residents with a cozy space to relax and put their feet up.
“It’s going to be very, very homey,” Lindsey said, adding that feel is something particular to Otterbein. “They don’t want anything to be, to look institutionalized, and that’s incorporated into this renovation. I think it’s going to be beautiful.”
Modern Updates and Technology
Resident hallways and the nurse’s station in skilled nursing have also been updated. With the changes to the nurse’s station, nurses can have eyes on residents at all times.
“The desk is positioned where they can see the common area and just have that visual supervision, and the aides are out in the common area with the residents when they’re not providing care in the patient rooms,” Powell added.
Nursing assistants at Otterbein Cridersville are always interacting with our long-term care residents, even when they’re doing documentation, thanks to technology.
“They’re out in the common space and always have eyes on the residents, interacting with them, even when they’re doing their paperwork and documentation because they have a portable iPad to do that,” Powell noted.
A Holistic Approach to Skilled Nursing Care at Otterbein Cridersville
At Otterbein SeniorLife, we believe in caring for all aspects of a person’s wellness, from physical to emotional well-being. In addition to nurses’ aides who work in our long-term care area, there is also a full-time social worker and a full-time life enrichment partner. Otterbein Cridersville offers counseling and psychiatry services to all of our long-term residents and has a full-time pastor on staff.
For those seeking dementia care, Otterbein Cridersville offers our Milestones program, which is individualized dementia care.
“We get to know them from a personal standpoint,” Powell said. “We not only learn about them and their family, but also their activities of daily living and what were their patterns like, and tailor the dementia care to that person.”
Skilled Nursing and Long-Term Care at Otterbein Cridersville
If you’re considering skilled nursing or long-term care for your loved one at Otterbein Cridersville or another community, you might be unsure of how to begin the process.
In our guide to long-term care, you’ll get tips for assessing your loved one to see if they really need long-term care, talking to your family members and loved ones, planning and paying for long-term care, and researching and choosing a community that is best for your family.
