Personal Care Resident helping with Planting

P.S. Probably Not What You Think

If you are of a certain age, you might not know that Personal Care and Assisted Living are essentially the same thing. Today’s Personal Care has evolved into a highly personal and flexible medical discipline, designed to meet each patient’s needs for support towards maintaining as independent a lifestyle as possible.

To be honest, that little piece of information is a relief. When some of us think of Assisted Living, we might think back to the days when the term conjured up images of rooms full of people lined up for medication and a meal. Thank goodness, that’s no longer the case. Today, Personal Care provides a continuum of care and personal assistance, custom-tailored to each resident’s needs. When a resident needs a little more support, that help is available, and can be adjusted as needed over time.

The key factor is to provide support and assistance with respect for every person’s independence and dignity. That’s what separates Personal Care here at Chandler Hall from personal care elsewhere – our caregivers are dedicated to making sure that care is given based on our resident’s needs and schedule. We adapt to them rather than vice versa. And that’s a critical difference. By forming personal relationships with each resident, our community stands out as compassionate and collaborative.

And should a patient require a higher level of skilled nursing, care is available here on campus in Chandler Hall’s Friends Nursing Home. In other personal care communities, additional levels of care aren’t always available, and some folks even send their residents in need of skilled nursing care to other facilities- so you aren’t guaranteed any sense of a continuum of care or caregivers.

The History of Personal Care

The terms Personal Care and Assisted Living are terms that were used interchangeably until 2011, when the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania started licensing communities differently. Personal Care and Assisted Living facilities both provide housing, meals, assistance with medications, and personal care tasks such as bathing and dressing. Today’s Assisted Living residences provide some additional skilled nursing services as well. Different facilities may call them different names, but this newer distinction of care provides the ability for patients and families to seek out the exact level of care that they or their loved one requires.

What a Personal Care Community Provides

A Personal Care Community provides a homelike environment that is a Personal Care Community provides a homelike environment that is designed to accommodate a person’s physical limitations, such as wheelchair and walker friendly entrances and doorways as well as all forms of accessibility. Grab bars and accessible showers and accessible counter heights make all the difference when working to maintain one’s independence. Further, a Personal Care community provides housekeeping support and relief from the burden of home maintenance, while still living their best lives in a welcoming and sharing community.

Personal Care May Be the Smarter Choice

Regulatory requirements in Pennsylvania demand different staffing levels in Assisted Living facilities due to the increased need for higher levels of medical services such as a 24/7 nursing need and registered dietitian. That sounds great, but you might be surprised at how many assisted care communities have only limited or no skilled nursing services on campus. That means if you ever have a fall, need surgery or rehab services, you may need to go to another facility that provides longer-term rehabilitation services as you recover from a joint-replacement or other medical issue. By contrast, Chandler Hall has the ability to provide a continuum of care should a person’s needs change. We have skilled nursing and rehabilitation services right here on campus, providing you with seamless transitions to the care you need – along with the familiar team and caregivers who know you well.

What Chandler Hall Personal Care Looks Like

Just as there are variables that attract you when looking to purchase an automobile or a home, there are variables that should attract you when choosing Personal Care. At Chandler Hall, we believe that one of the most important services that we provide is person-centered care.

We recognize that older adults are independent, accomplished individuals who deserve respect and deference especially when assistance is required due to the natural aspects of aging. While it can seem “easier” for the caregiver to just take over a task, this just goes against the grain of “person-centered care”. And person-centered care is one of the cornerstones of Chandler Hall’s Quaker centered beliefs.

Person-centered care can be defined as treating each person as an individual. It is a philosophy that sees people as partners in the planning, developing and monitoring of the care to make sure that each patient gets the exact care that he or she needs. It offers choices and customized experiences to meet individual needs and preferences.

It is Important to Know

When choosing Personal Care, it is important to know that should the journey change, you or your loved ones have options. Knowing that there is a “next step” or “next level” of care available should it be needed is important. Minimizing disruptions to routine, place, staffing and familiar faces helps make the journey of aging that much easier.

For additional information about Chandler Hall’s Personal Care program, please contact Patricia Curry at (267) 291-2300 for more information.

If you or a loved one is hospitalized for a surgical procedure, injury or an acute illness, your medical team may recommend short-term rehab, or rehabilitation, before returning home. Rehab helps patients regain all or some of the movement or function they lost due to health issues or surgery, such as a hip replacement or recovering from a serious illness and experience deconditioning.

The term “Short Term Rehab” or “Short Term Rehabilitation Services” can evoke images of post surgical gym equipment and repetitive movements designed to build strength and stamina at a time when that may be the last thing you feel like doing. Motivation may be low and envisioning a new or even better self may be hard to do. But the reality is – if you or your loved one will need help after surgery or is in need of improved fitness or speech therapy, Short Term Rehab is exactly what you need!

When You are Ready for Discharge…

The transition from hospital to rehab is often done quickly. A discharge planner in the hospital (usually a nurse or social worker) will provide a list of appropriate rehab settings for your particular situation. Patients and families are then asked to choose which subacute or short term rehab facility they prefer.

The question is – “How do you know which facility will be the best for you?”

Look for a Culture of Wellness

Most competent rehab facilities will have access to quality rehab services. They include:

Physical Therapy (PT)

Physical Therapy is designed to help patients who have problems in moving, balance, walking and performing other physical activities. When there are specific, treatable reasons for a mobility issue, a physical therapist can help with adaptive techniques such as learning to use an artificial limb (prosthesis), or recommend and fit for shoe inserts, wheelchairs and other adaptive devices.

Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy (OT) is focused on helping patients gain independence with self care and other daily tasks such as getting dressed, tying shoes, using the telephone and other adaptive devices that aid in everyday practical functions.

Speech Therapy

Speech Therapy is centered on helping patients who have suffered brain injury, possibly because of stroke, accidental injury or other reason. Patients may also need to relearn language skills. Expressive language, or spoken word comes to mind. But speech therapists also assist patients with written expression, word recognition and other basic forms of communication.

Sometimes the mechanical reasons for language deficits also create problems with swallowing. Speech therapists can evaluate a patient’s ability to drink liquids and swallow food safely. Should assistance be required a therapist can devise a plan to help patients relearn to eat and swallow safely.

A truly exceptional rehab service will go beyond the basics to develop a culture of wellness where patients can enjoy meaningful personalized therapies.

Chandler Hall Partners with HealthPRO Heritage

Chandler Hall has partnered with HealthPRO Heritageto deliver wellness programming that is dynamic, multidimensional and leverages a team approach to treat the whole patient – body, mind and spirit.

Six Tenets of Health

Each patient’s care plan incorporates the six tenets of health that address the whole patient. Each tenet assists in the patient’s recovery whether it be from a joint replacement or recovery from a brain injury or other traumatic event.

These include:

Spiritual
Intellectual
Physical
Emotional
Social and
Vocational aspects of health

A full recovery comes from belief in yourself and your care team, an understanding of the disorder and treatment plan, an accurate evaluation of a patient’s abilities and capabilities, a supportive care team, a caring circle of friends and family and a highly trained and professional team of therapists.

Rehab isn’t just physical. It is also an emotional experience. Add to that an element of fear, uncertainty and anecdotal stories from friends and family and you find out quickly that it is imperative to trust your care team.

Providing the basic therapies should really just be the beginning of patient treatment. Treating the whole patient should be the goal.

Ask This One Question

When making the final decision about which rehab program is right for you or your loved one, ask yourself this one question: “Will this program really take the time to understand me and my goals?”.

If you ask that question of anyone at Chandler Hall, the answer will be “Yes!”

Contact Patricia Curry today at 267-291-2300 to learn more about our Short Term Rehab program or click below and find out how we can get you on the pathway to wellness.

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our CMS 5 star rating

Find out more about short-term rehab at Chandler Hall

Topic: Living Options