Everybody, WCCC resident Noah Ray included, loves dogs. But not only do local cities always have to deal with dog issues; the WCCC has to deal with them as well. "A lot of us are on breathing machines," said Ray, addressing the WCCC Board Wednesday. "I’ve been here three years, and I think dogs are just fine, but here, they breathe the same air we do." He said that there were too many residents with dog allergies to justify dogs being allowed in the nursing home. "At one time, I counted 10 dogs running around the hallways here," said Ray. He said that neighbors’ dogs also came across the street while residents were out. "This place was made for older people, not the dogs," said Ray. Employee Ruth Allen said that some of the employees there were allergic to cats.
But on the other hand, everyone has an opinion about dogs. Board members agreed that there needed to be some kind of policy about dogs. But board member Bill Calhoon said that people brought in dogs for the therapeutic effects that they have on residents. In fact, some nursing homes have a cat that has the run of the place because of the therapeutic benefits they have on the residents. Other board members pointed out that many times, family members bring residents’ pets to them. "They see their pets as part of the family," said Board President Scott Houk. The board directed Secretary Jozy Moyer to look into the situation and report back to them.
The board got the budget back and was to have reviewed and approved it at a special meeting on June 17th.
The board voted, after a discussion, to reduce the license to 50 beds from 60. The savings on their insurance policy would not be that much, as there would only be $1750 in annual savings, since the insurance policy has already accounted for most of the changes made. And board members were concerned that it might be difficult to get them back should the needs of the facility change again. But board members felt that they needed the space for office purposes as well as Charlie Green’s therapy. Another advantage would be more privacy, since there would be more office space. Back when the facility was first formed, 60 beds was not enough and there were waiting lists; however, the facility now has 36 residents, with two more coming in for short-term stays.
The majority of nursing homes are in the same boat, competing for the same group of people. Board Member Martha Rush suggested fixing up some private rooms, suggesting that people might be willing to pay more for that. On a related note, board members said that they were very impressed with the completed room that the Worth County Progress Organization completed. The Progress Organization will challenge other organizations in the county to do similar work for other rooms in the facility.
The board voted to have Scott Houk sign all the checks along with Secretary Jozy Moyer and board member Kaye Havner.
The center received a FEMA check for $18,409.36 as well as $736.75 in tax revenues from the county for the month. The employee health insurance plan will go up 7.7% this year, creating an additional cost of $6,000 per year.
At the suggestion of Board President Scott Houk, the board voted to authorize the establishment of fact-finding committees that would look into issues and report back to the board with recommendations. The committees would not have the authority to make policy, only to make recommendations. "We’re stuck back 30 years ago when we had 50-60 residents and everything was fine," said Houk. "If we are going to move forward, we have to change." Secretary Jozy Moyer agreed, saying that "you never know until you try." "We have to think outside the box," concluded Houk. Board members reached a consensus that staff members could serve on these committees as well.
While the facility has gotten out of the woods from a financial standpoint, Moyer reported more problems with the building. She said that the building had shifted, there were two layers of sheet rock that needed replaced, and the attic was a "nightmare" in the words of board member Kaye Havner.
The board voted to explore the possibility of joining a nursing home association in order to get training if the costs were affordable.
No comments:
Post a Comment