Parkside Lutheran Home improves lives and reduces resident falls
Providing quality care to residents is always top-of-mind for Tim Kennedy, administrator at Parkside Lutheran Home (tag them on Facebook) in Lisbon, N.D., and his team.
“Quality has always been a priority for us,” he said. “When you go out to a restaurant, you expect quality food. When you live in a nursing facility, you expect quality care that improves your overall health and well-being.”
That’s why Kennedy is excited about the North Dakota Health and Human Services’ Nursing Facility Incentive Program. It recognizes and rewards nursing facilities for providing quality care in four federally measured areas: reductions in urinary tract infections, pressure ulcers, use of antipsychotic drugs and hospitalizations.
“The program has elevated these quality measures to a high priority of focus for nursing facilities,” he said. “So far, we’ve found that when there are improvements in these areas, it naturally drives improvements in other areas.”
The waterfall effect
That’s what happened at Parkside Lutheran Home. It started with a focused effort to reduce the use of antipsychotic medications among its residents.
“We worked with our physicians to figure out what triggers could cause negative behaviors and then we helped our staff recognize those triggers and how to react,” Kennedy said.
They also added behavioral health training for staff and implemented simple interventions into their care model.
“If we have a resident who gets irritable at bath time, we match them with a staff member who clicks with them to help reduce tension.”
Because of these changes, Parkside Lutheran Home reduced the use of antipsychotic medications by nearly two percent over the last year, which is a move in the right direction for a small 40-bed nursing facility.
Because of this, Kennedy started to notice another positive change.
“Our resident falls started to decrease,” he said. “There’s definitely a strong correlation between the reduction in antipsychotic medication use and falls. They go hand-in-hand.”
Investing in the future
The Nursing Facility Incentive Program was designed in partnership with the North Dakota Long Term Care Association to improve resident outcomes and decrease costs by incentivizing quality care.
Parkside Lutheran Home received about $58,000 from the program. They used the funds to provide wage increases and install a new energy-efficient air conditioning system.
“We have our wish list for future improvement, but for now, our focus remains on providing the best possible care to our residents,” Kennedy said.
Learn more
The HHS Nursing Facility Incentive Program was developed in partnership with the North Dakota Long Term Care Association and nursing facilities, approved by lawmakers during the 2023 legislative session and signed into law by Gov. Doug Burgum.