Excellence in Action! – Restorative Success Can Be More Than a Bunch of Hocus Pocus

Two years ago, TCN/SLP, Ashley started a position at our Gainesville, FL facility, and arrived to find a dining room full of patients that lacked evidence of restorative dining skills.  She received numerous requests from the restorative staff to continue restorative programs that had been running for greater than one to two years, with limited involvement from therapy.  There appeared to be a disconnect between therapy and restorative nursing; Ashley saw this as an opportunity to engage our customer and implement a valuable resource.

In preparation for PDPM, TMC offered to pilot the Level 2 Consultative approach of our Restorative Nursing Program at the facility.  At the beginning of the pilot, the number of residents receiving restorative programming fluctuated between three to five patients.  They had a very ineffective hydration program, and the insufficient programming had a heavy impact on the facility’s quality measures.  TMC’s Level 2 Consultative approach quickly turned into requests for a Level 3 Interactive approach to assist the facility in creating a successful program.

With the facility and TMC working together in a true partnership, changes were made to restorative staffing.  A daily schedule was created to ensure that the Restorative CNAs were provided every opportunity to complete their daily tasks promptly.  This included the implementation of patient-centered individualized programs, as well as a focus on hydration, dining, and weights. 

Fast-forward to eight months later, and the Restorative Program is at its top function.  There are currently 35 residents on Restorative programming, which consists of 97 individual programs, and 27 people on a twice-daily hydration program.  In addition to these areas the Restorative team now plays an integral part in participating with therapy.  The success of this partnership allowed the facility to take over the programming, creating better patient-centered care in the lives of our residents and improved quality measures.