NY State Survey

We are currently undergoing a NY State Survey. This is a process where State employees from various disciplines, (Nursing,Dietary,Social Services,Environmental) come as a team to check the operation of the nursing home against State and Federal guidelines. They arrived on Wednesday 11/12/08 and "expect" to be finished sometime Monday or Tuesday the 17th or 18th.
This is an extensive review of nursing care plans, dietary services, administrative process, building and grounds. The focus is mainly on patient care and satisfaction. That is really a good thing, because that is what the care is all about, high quality of service and comfort for residents here. During the review the surveyors will examine charts and documents as well as interview residents and families. This process is repeated in every nursing home across the nation.
The fact that every State is doing this means that it is an ongoing effort to train the surveyors in every state and even within areas of the State to be consistent in how they interpret the regulations and how they "score" the facility. So.... the process has it's flaws, but it sure is better than having no oversight on how the State and Federal monies of Medicaid and Medicare are being used for services of value.
In other events, the Fire Alarm system is being upgraded to a state of the art detection and alarm system that will not only tell us what zone the problem is in, but exactly what room it is in. This will be an ongoing project for many weeks.
A group from the Elementary School visited residents on Wednesday that they have been writing to in a "Pen Pal" program. These young people were so dedicated that they WALKED from the elementary school to here and back for the visit. They had to walk because the school is saying they do not have the funds for operating buses to field trip events. What a shame.

Melting Snow

Wow !! Today the snow began melting in earnest. The early snow we had was very heavy and wet. Thousands of homes were without power for various lengths of time. As of Friday, only about 300 homes were still without power. Because of the elevation of Waterville, we were getting snow when others were getting rain. All this happened on Tuesday night and all day Wednesday. Our generator here kicked in a couple of times as they had to cut power to fix some lines. In general, the village of Waterville itself had continuous power.

So..... We have some minor flooding in the basement storage areas as the melting snow from the new roofing drains overpower the center courtyard area. No resident areas are affected and we are able to direct the melting water directly into a storm drain using temporary drain tubes. The long term fix will have to have more permanent drains installed to route the new drainage load from the roof.