CNA - Cottages at Brushy Creek
Wendy: Welcome to another addition to Momentum where we share ideas on how you can gain and sustain momentum within your career. I am Wendy Walden. Today we are talking about the certified nursing assistant program that is offered in our continuing education division. Later we will also be speaking about a new program called the Residents Care Specialists Program that is going to be interviewed this fall. Later in the show we will speaking with Less Parks who is the Administrator of the Cottages of Bushy Creek. It is a nursing home facility and it is located here in Greer, SC. But first we are going to speak with Judy Stella. She is the Program Manager for the CNA program as well as the Resident Care Specialist Program.
Wendy: Hi Judy, how are you. Less, how are you? It’s nice to have you both with us.
Judy & Less: Thank you so much
Wendy: we really want to talk about the new program that we are going to start this fall but before we do so because I know the CNA program is a prerequisite
Judy: yes it is
Wendy: to the specialty, the Residential Care Specialists’ position.
Judy: yes
Wendy: Tell us about the CNA program and some of the duties that a CNA would have to do on a daily basis.
Judy: Our CNA program at Greenville Technology is state certified curriculum. It’s the entry level into the health care so whether you would like this information just for your own family use or to begin your journey into the caring for others, the CNA program is only three and a half weeks. So it’s nice beginning. Let's say you want to go into nursing or assistant living care or even as we are going to speak further your career into other specialties that are now combined with the CNA. Our program is three and half weeks for the day program as I said and six weeks for the evening program. It is your basic; you are going to learn rather the student will learn the basic beginning skills for patient care. We also will help them and instruct them in understanding others and accepting the differences.
Wendy: Okay
Judy: It’s a little bit of anatomy and physiology, a little bit of you know ,what’s the difference between acute care and long term care. It’s a little bit about managing and teams and everything. It touches upon all basics of personal care.
Wendy: Now you also teach a little bit about lab and clinicals as well.
Judy: Yes, Yes
Wendy: talk about it. Tell us about that.
Judy: yes, within in the laboratory you will learn basics skills. These are basic skills that wherever you go within the United States or anywhere.
Wendy: You can use them
Judy: you can use them. Plus that’s the same skills that physicians might use to take a blood pressure.
Wendy: Which is wonderful.
Judy: So we do that and also Clinical skills is where you actually have the hands on patient care so the student usually will not go to the clinical until we are absolutely certain they are competent in their skills.
Wendy: Now once the student has completed the CNA program, it prepares them to take their state certification exam does it not?
Judy: yes
Wendy: And the success rate is pretty high right
Judy: yes, yes, It’s in the 90s
Wendy: Okay
Judy: Pretty much our graduates have no problem what so ever taking the state test. We prepare them from the day they come into class.
Wendy: Now Judy, the CNA program is one of our most popular health care programs we offer and the success rate of course is very high and people come from all over
Judy: all over
Wendy: the state to come to take our program.
Judy: Yes
Wendy: Let's change gears a little bit and talk about the Residential Care Specialist. This is going to be an exciting Program
Judy: It is going to be an exciting program
Wendy: And it goes hand and hand with the CNA in which you have to be a CNA in order to enter the program
Judy: Yes
Wendy: Tell us about the program
Judy: The Residential Care Specialist actually was developed as a whole new job description, a whole new which position that takes on additional, the CNA which is not normally part of their role. One the most important skills that they are going to learn is person centered skills which actually involves team leading, giving that person the say so over their medical care which is quit different from a normal facility. Its personal center care. Its giving them additional skills on cooking, cleaning, anything to do with the home setting. This would allow then CNA to feel very comfortable within the home setting but still work within a professional matter.
Wendy: It is important to point out the specialists the Residential Care Specialist will act more independently.
Judy: yes
Wendy: and have more authority and responsibility than being dependent on a nurse if you will or someone supervising the day to day activities.
Judy: yes, now of course when it involves patient care the nurse of course is the one that is exclusively responsibility but the day to day management of a home setting, we sort of empower the Resident Care Specialist to identify different factors that might become a problem. We drove and dabbed into more than what we would for the CNA training
Wendy: so you are going to teach a little bit about how to take care of the diet, how to cook and prepare meals
Judy: yes
Wendy: What else is going to be covered in there?
Judy: Its not just cook, its going through a surf safe training which is restaurant’s food handlers safety certificate that is recognized throughout this state and many others. So they will be receiving that and they will also be receiving some diet planning information, shopping information, special diets. WE are having nutritionist come in and actually give that CNA a little more expanded information than they would get in the regular CNA program so we build upon the skills of the CAN.
Wendy: How long is this portion, this section?
Judy: This is just two weeks
Wendy: Two weeks
Judy: Yes
Wendy: Do students walk away with a certificate or
Judy: Yes, They would receive a certificate for sixty hours which would verify that they have gone through the state approve pilot training as a matter fact for the Resident Care Specialist.
Wendy: I’m glad you touched on that because I was going to ask you tell us about that, it exciting
Judy: very exciting,
Wendy: big news for Greenville Tech
Judy: Yes, it truthfully is. We've actually have been chosen the first within the state of South Carolina to use the curriculum in which we developed in conjunction with Robert Huntington and their Hodges Brushy Creek. We developed a curriculum that would actually prepare and train the folks for this position o Resident Care Specialists. Every time a facility, specialized facility such as Bushy Creek Cottages opens and these folks will need to be hired and will first go through a thorough multi tasking training.
Wendy: Every good. Now, I also want to point out this Resident Care Specialist is the only program
Judy: yes
Wendy: locally as well as regionally. We also touched on that When is the program starting?
Judy: We are hoping in fall in Sept
Wendy: September
Judy: yes maybe October, right now we are in negotiations but it will be this fall.
Wendy: now are you the main person to speck about
Judy: I would say actually speak with Abbey Foss
Wendy: okay
Judy: And she is our department head
Wendy: Sure
Judy: She would probably have more information as far as dates
Wendy: okay, we will give the audience the number how they can reach Abbey. Well thank you so much Judy
Judy: You’re welcome
Wendy: Now we are going to change gears a little bit and speck to Less parks who is the administrator of the Cottages of Brushy Creek and it is a nursing home facility and Less again, welcome. This is a very initiative approach to taking care of elders. I believe its one of probably one or two facilities in the country so I am going to give you an opportunity to tell us about the Cottages as well as tell us how this set up is different from your traditional nursing care home if you will.
Less: As you said it is really the first time in the country that a complete nursing home is taken on a new culture change model. We are extremely excited and happy to be able to do that right here in Greer and be part of the Greenville Hospital System. If you summed up exactly the difference between what we’re doing and a traditional model, it comes down to we are actually providing a home. The term nursing home for years literally has been more of a traditional medical model but the home part of it was not really the emphasis. We have built a village here in Greer called the Cottages of Brushy Creek. There are 12 houses, 12 residentially designed houses and one community building that has all the capabilities to do all that residents to do and participate in group activities. Each cottage has12 private rooms with private baths, and complete independent house. These cottages, these houses are very residential in nature and design in nature specifically so it looks like a house. It’s also furnished like our homes with residential like type furniture and furnishing and the entire concepts begins with to make it a home. Even the way we deliver our services to the residents very similar to how that is done at home. The difference being from the traditional model is that we have done away with the schedule where somebody has to get up in the morning and when they go to bed. So we have provided really the options and the choices that the elders can make and really have a normal quality life style. What we call a normal life style which is not typical of traditional setting. The traditional nursing home has really been based on medical model similar to hospital and institutional care and we just feel that while that type of care is necessary at times but for the most part people would not want to live in an institution for an extended about of time where Cottages of Brushy Creek were developed the home atmosphere where people should be happy to live.
Wendy: Sure, I know during my tour of the cottages, what is so nice is that residents can sleep as late as they want to and when the get up they can get something to eat; whatever their hearts desire if you well, in the morning or afternoon. And it is very much like a home setting and you did say that it is one of your goals is to provide that home environment. Part of that you foster engagement, family type engagement of residents to feel like their home. Let's talk about some of those engagements you encourage residents to get involved in.
Less: A lot of that has to do with a philosophy that what the activities are in a nursing home. We have something we have termed the coin, life activities. And those are things that all of us has done all of our lives. They seem somewhat mundane, I guess when you talk about them like cooking, house cleaning, laundry, gardening, and those types of things but that is what we are used to doing all of our lives. So we encourage and have service delivery method to reengage our residents in doing those types of activities. For instance our whole activity programming is designed around the kitchen which we believe that is where the heart of most people’s homes is in the kitchen. That’s where the family gets together, where sits to together for meals, to talk so that’s really how we designed our cottages. We designed our cottages around the kitchen and we feel that is a very important part of it. So an example would be today on the menu we are having home made vegetable soup. In a traditional model that would be made somewhere in the kitchen distant from the rest of the residents but in our cottages the kitchen is open and the residents are right there and can participate. So if someone wants to help chop the carrots, potatoes or what ever it is that goes in the vegetable soup then they can do that and that is actually used in the meal. Even the residents that cant physically participate, our staff are trained with some from with Greenville Tech to reengage them by for instance asking them well we are having home made vegetable soup today, how did you use to make your vegetable soup, what did you put in it.
Wendy: Right
Less: and those types of things. So our life activities are going towards normalcy. We still do some of the traditional games, pottery, movies and sing along but we really are going to emphasis the life activities because we think that is where those type activities generate purpose and meaningful
Wendy: sure, sure that is wonderful. Now let me go back a little bit, you talked about the cottages and the layout. Let's talk about some of the amenities because I was impressed with some of them. I thought if I get to be 65 -70 and in a need of a nursing home this is where I want to come because this is really like a resort.
Less: it is
Wendy: It really is like a resort. Let’s talk about some of the amenities there. I know there was a beauty parlor there. I know there was a hot tub there. Tell me about them.
Less: Well by kind of giving you a story of how I came into the cottage. So when you come to the front porch, they have a front porch, there is a door bell. Well, as in most peoples homes when you come up to the front door you ring a door bell and someone comes to the door and lets you in. Well in the traditional model that is not necessarily the case because you can come in and out without being announced. So you come to our front porch, ring the door bell and are allowed to come in. You walk into a foyer, nice layout area. Go down a short hall, there is a beauty shop and that is something you would not typically have in homes but that is a very important piece of feature to have for our residents. Past the beauty shop, you come to a private den where there is a nice big TV, VCR, DVD player, nice comfortable furniture for residents and family members if they want to be a little more private. Further into the cottage you go past a pantry, again those are things you have at home. Around the pantry we come into the great room of the cottage. This is a very beautiful, big, oak, high ceiling, room. We have a kitchen there which is well appointed. It is residential in nature not scary institutional looking equipment. Next to that we have our dinning room with tables for four. Again, on farther we have our family room with a fire place, big screen TV. Again, couches that are very residential and very comfortable. A sunroom towards the back of the cottage, again, residents can congregate and enjoy sunlight.
Wendy: And again, quite different from the traditional nursing home.
Less: Absolutely
Wendy: Now you touched on, when someone comes and rings the bell. I want to point out that there are resident care companions at the facility around the clock so. There are situations of course where some of the residents may have situations like dementia need care. They are not alone.
Less: Absolutely
Wendy: Which is a good lead into the training that Greenville Tech and Judy has done for the cottages and the training. Let’s talk a little bit about that. I know you have trained about 120 people on the residents..
Judy: employees
Wendy: Please tell us about that
Judy: Well the training was two week training, a hour training to help to prepare their employees to assume a new role as a companion resident care.
Wendy: Now to point out they were previously CNA’s
Judy: yes, they have to be CNA’s. That is traditionally we also trained nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech because of course the success of the cottage is going to depend on them and the concept so. Any of a number of staff could easily step in and do some cooking and or do a little cleaning or assist with the residents.
Wendy: okay, everyone is cross trained
Judy: yes
Wendy: in some respect
Judy: yes, yes
Wendy: Less how have you found the training to be thus far?
Less: This was a relatively new vision or concept for us to develop this training and the Greenville Hospital System and Greenville Tech have had a long standing and good relationship and able to collaborate on a training program. I think together we have gained an excellent training program. And in order to be a Resident Care Companion at the cottages you first have to be a CNA and come and will provide the training through Greenville Tech and it has been very successful resident care companions have gone through the training and have been extremely elated with the staff members from Greenville Tech; the teaching and the results of the training program. So we are extremely happy with the training.
Wendy: now is the cottages opened at this time or are they going to be opening soon? Is it soon?
Less: We have had a few construction delays. We are expecting in the month of August to open towards the later part of August. So it is coming pretty soon.
Wendy: So you are still hiring for the companion care
Less: Absolutely
Wendy: okay
Less: We are still have a number positions open and applicants can apply at the Greenville Hospital System but we do still have a number positions opened.
Wendy: The important thing is people are not going to call us for employment, Greenville Tech that is. They will call Greenville Hospital System as Less has indicated and employment is done through the Greenville Hospital System and if you are trained and certified as an CNA you would go to or hired by the Greenville Hospital System and training with Greenville Tech. Well this is really great. I really appreciate you taking the time in telling us about the CNA program and the Residential Care Specialist and Less thank you so much. Of course Greenville Tech value our relationship with Greenville Hospital System, with you, and the Cottages of Brushy Creek.
Less: Thank you
Wendy: and again if I am in the need for elderly care at some point in my life this is the first place I will come in and acquire because it is very much like a resort. So if you are interested in learning more about the CNA program or the Resident Care Specialist Position offered in our continuing education certainly give us a call at 864- 250-8800. If you are interested in learning more about the Resident Care Companion positions that are available at the Cottages of Brushy Creek, certainly contact Greenville Hospital System. They will put you in touch with the right people. And that is going to do it for this edition of Momentum. Thank you for watching.