Sandra K. Kingsley, RN, BSN, MSN, of Dallastown, York County, has been named the Director of Quality Initiatives.

Both bring tremendous expertise in the areas of enhancing quality care, meeting the needs of individuals with dementia, and helping to grow Pennsylvania’s assisted living marketplace.

Smeltzer earned his bachelor of science in business administration from Millersville University in 2002 and anticipates earning his master in health administration from Penn State University in December.  Prior to joining PHCA/CALM, he was executive director at Arden Courts Memory Care Community of Susquehanna in Dauphin County, where he was responsible for the day-to-day care needs of more than 50 individuals with dementia.

While at Arden Courts, Smeltzer’s facility received a deficiency-free survey from the state Department of Public Welfare – a difficult feat – and achieved a 96 percent customer service satisfaction score from the independent survey organization My InnerView.

Smeltzer previously worked throughout the state as a regional marketing manager for HCR ManorCare and Extendicare, as well as a marketing director for the Woods at Cedar Run.

Kingsley earned her bachelor of science in nursing from York College of PA in 1991 and her master of science in nursing from the University of Phoenix in 2001.  For the past 10 years, she has served as a clinical services consultant/director of clinical services for Golden Living, overseeing the quality of health care at 31 skilled nursing facilities and five personal care homes across Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and Ohio.

She has extensive experience in geriatric nursing, especially in wound care (she is wound care certified through the Wound Care Education Institute), and chaired a collaborative wound care council at Golden Living from 2008 to 2012.

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To access the Personal Care Home v. Assisted Living Residence Regulations Comparison Guide or to receive additional free information, please complete the information below.  We will send you electronic materials as we believe they may be helpful to you.

Chef John Delmar with residents Mary Birch, Mary Ann Haggerty and Ann
Hornsby

Chef John Delmar with residents Mary Birch, Mary Ann Haggerty and Ann Hornsby

Mary Birch and Maryann Hagerty don’t have too far to go to eat well. And when they dine out, as they do daily, usually with a table full of friends, they’re the last to leave the room, enjoying the conversation as much as the food.

For Birch, 88, and Hagerty, 71, residents at Genesis Healthcare’s Wayne Center in Delaware County, it’s just a short walk down the hall for a grand dining experience that matches delicious food with great service in an atmosphere that’s elegant and warm.

“When you walk in here, it’s like walking into a restaurant,” said Hagerty. Birch agreed: “It’s a wonderful experience. We just enjoy sitting and talking and eating.”

Recognizing the role food plays in customer satisfaction, Genesis made expanding the expertise of its culinary management team a top priority in 2009. The company hired 99 professional chefs and now boasts 144 chef managers across 13 states. In Pennsylvania, 33 of Genesis’ 48 skilled nursing and assisted living facilities have chefs or chef managers.

That includes David R. Rand, who studied electrical engineering at Temple University for three years before eventually realizing his true passion: the art of cooking. Rand graduated from the prestigious Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College in 1992 and today serves as Food Service Director at the Wayne Center.

With the help of chefs like Rand, Genesis is transforming the dining experience at skilled nursing facilities.

Chef John Delmar with Food Services Director David Rand, posing with the chicken phyllo, a resident favorite.

Chef John Delmar with Food Services Director David Rand, posing with
the chicken phyllo, a resident favorite.

Only choice products are used. Every plate is garnished. Flatware and plates are top-notch. Fine linens drape tables decorated with centerpieces. Dining times are expanded. Patients have a choice in their meal selection, just as if they were dining in a restaurant. Staffs wear professional uniforms and take customer service seriously, making the rounds with diners.

“If you’re dining anywhere and the chef comes to your table, you feel special,” said Rand, who has worked for Genesis for 15 years.

Residents are taking notice, too. Individuals who used to eat every meal alone in their room now make a point of getting to the dining room, where they’ll run into friends like Birch and Hagerty. Both have been at Genesis for a little more than a year now. And while the care they receive is the highest quality, it’s that fine dining experience that adds that extra something.

“We have great care. The nurses are wonderful. But even if you have all that, come lunchtime and you’re facing a ‘blah’ meal, that kind of puts a damper on things,” Hagerty said. Birch exclaimed: “We look forward to the meals here. It’s usually, ‘Oh, boy, what are we having today!?’”

“Not many places can say they’re having seafood Alfredo for lunch,” Hagerty finished.

Rand doesn’t just serve a single different meal each day; he gives residents their pick from a smorgasbord of entrees, up to seven daily. There’s something for everyone’s craving. And that’s important. Residents say simply having a choice in what to eat helps them feel more in control, enhancing quality of life.

“Chefs know how to take a dish and make it into something spectacular, using all the ingredients you have in house,” Rand said. “But it’s more than that. Our clientele has changed. … We needed to change with them, and we did. Today, we not only serve food better, we serve better foods.”

To showcase its chefs’ talents, Genesis sponsored its first annual Culinary Competition in 2009 and completed its second competition this past spring. Culinary teams throughout Genesis submitted their best recipes, which were judged on originality, taste, texture, color, presentation and nutrition. Each winning menu item was added to the select meals that Genesis offers company-wide.

“We know that food is integral to the quality of life in our skilled nursing centers,” shares Paul Bach, President of Genesis HealthCare’s Central region, which includes Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

“Over the past several years, Genesis has been committed to culture change in order to enhance a patient’s experience with us, and food is leading the way,” Bach said. “We are proud to say that even in the short time since we have implemented our new approach, our centers have achieved improved customer satisfaction with meals and dining and overall customer satisfaction as well.”

At the Wayne Center, Rand helps to put on a monthly cooking show, preparing meals right in front of residents, who aren’t shy about offering their own recipe suggestions or adding their own flair to preparations, all before sampling the fare. Everyone becomes part of the process.

“We’re in the business of caring for people who can no longer care for themselves — and that includes the meal experience,” Rand said.

RECIPE:

David R. Rand, Food Service Director at Genesis Healthcare’s Wayne Center in Delaware County, says his most popular dish is chicken mixed with mushrooms and Swiss cheese, wrapped in phyllo dough and then baked. The menu item is so popular that it’s available at any meal. Here’s how to make your own:

Grilled Chicken Phyllo Wrap

• 4 oz. chicken thigh
• 1 tsp. oil
• Pinch of onion powder
• Pinch of garlic powder
• Pinch of paprika
• Dash of salt
• Pinch of pepper
• 1 sheet of phyllo dough
• ¼ cup fresh mushrooms
• ¼ cup shredded Swiss cheese

1. Coat the chicken thigh in oil then sprinkle onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper and bake until done.
2. Sautee mushrooms.
3. Make a pocket in the chicken and place the sautéed mushrooms in the pocket. Place chicken with the mushrooms on top of 1 sheet of phyllo dough, add the shredded Swiss cheese, then wrap. (Optional) Brush with a little margarine.
4. Bake in oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

The 2010 Convention and Trade show will be BOLDER, NEWER & MORE EXCITING THAN EVER!

One of the many ways we are doing this is offering our attendees more  variety, more choices and more expanded events at Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Champion, PA beginning Tuesday September 14 and continuing through Thursday, September 16, 2010.

We are looking for sponsors for these events and are reaching out to our valuable business partner members for this opportunity first!  View our brand new sponsorship choices by clicking here. Reserve your sponsorship today, these new HOT packages will be going quick!

And back by popular demand are our Partners Club sponsorship packages.  Club Members may again choose from four levels this year:  Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze.

Don’t miss your chance to be one of the exclusive PHCA Partner’s Club members and experience the wealth of benefits that go beyond traditional advertising.  See the Partner’s Club brochure for available sponsorships by clicking here. Our sponsor packages are flexible and can be adapted to suit individual needs/requirements. Each sponsorship offers a variety of benefits, visibility and more importantly, return on your investment.

Join PHCA & CALM on September 14 & 15 for the Trade Expo where together we will be “Prospecting Toward a Greener Future”.  Don’t miss the chance to network with an anticipated 300 long term care professionals and top-supporting vendors at the 2010 Annual Convention and Trade Expo.

Please note that booth prices were not increased.  We have kept booth prices at the same rate for the past three years!

Register today by viewing the online brochure .

Member Resource Center:

CALM has partnered with Age Serve, a California-based communications firm, to offer the Family Virtual Visits program to our members.  Family Virtual Visits is custom engineered to enable seniors to visit their families over the Internet, hands free, with no keyboards or applications to learn. Family members activate the service via AgeServe’s web site. It’s as easy as watching TV. The service is free for family members, although personal care homes and assisted living residences pay a fee to offer it.  AgeServe provides all the equipment and all marketing materials to help attract family members to the service. Visits are scheduled on the web, last 15 minutes, and start and stop automatically. To learn more, click here.