Searching for a Shawnee Nursing Home? What to Know About Shawnee Gardens
When searching for a quality nursing home in the Shawnee, Kansas area for yourself or a loved one, finding the right fit can feel overwhelming. With multiple facilities to evaluate, it is key to understand the care philosophy, breadth of services, costs, health standards, and reputation of each. One Shawnee nursing home that often comes up in searches is Shawnee Gardens Healthcare & Rehab Center.
Shawnee Gardens' Person-Centered Care Approach
As a non-profit nursing home, Shawnee Gardens' mission is to provide individualized, patient-centered care in a comfortable, home-like environment. Their person-centered care model involves getting to know each resident, their unique needs and preferences to shape their overall care plan. This means building schedules, meals, therapies and activities around the interests of the individual.
From resident feedback, we find this philosophy shines through. Residents praise the care staff for making them feel at home through kind gestures like learning food favorites or stopping to chat. Efforts like weekly resident committee meetings also ensure Shawnee Gardens makes decisions informed by those they serve. If considering them, know that personalized care is meant to be a core focus.
Programming Focused on Quality of Life
Beyond clinical care services, Shawnee Gardens also aims to provide engaging programming centered around resident well-being. Their life enrichment calendar includes both recurring activities like bingo nights and live musical performances as well as external entertainment and events. Some outings they facilitate include museum visits or Kansas City Royals games based on resident interests.
For residents less able to leave the grounds, they host happy hour socials and bring in therapy dogs for visits to stimulate social engagement. Cultural and diversity programs are also held often, including celebrating Chinese New Years or Black History Month. The range of innovative programming helps support the quality of life for seniors here.
Staff Training for Specialized Care Needs
To deliver comprehensive skilled nursing and senior care, employing knowledgeable staff across domains is crucial. Shawnee Gardens invests heavily in continued education and specialized training for their nurses, certified nursing assistants, therapists, social workers, and other staff.
By completing certifications, they gain expertise to serve specific needs from managing wounds or ostomy care to providing dementia support techniques. For those with certain rehabilitation requirements after procedures or those on dialysis for kidney disease, for instance, targeted training prepares staff to support recovery and coordination.
Lower Turnover Rates Among Staff
High staff turnover often negatively impacts care consistency. Shawnee Gardens, however, sees lower nursing staff turnover compared to state averages partly due to internal growth opportunities. Many nurses can advance into management roles while CNAs can build skills to become LPNs. Retaining staff longer enables deeper resident-caregiver bonds.
They also support manageable staff ratios, often exceeding state minimums. Higher staffing per resident allows more one-on-one attention for activities like bathing or medication management. Considering specialized needs cared for, their ratings across health inspections and staffing by Medicare indicate reliable performance so far.
Modern Facilities to Call Home
As a senior care provider since 1973, Shawnee Gardens continually reinvests and upgrades their facilities to meet evolving safety codes and enable access for vulnerable residents. Visitors praise the cleanliness throughout and appreciate the 2007 renovation of resident rooms and common areas.
They offer different private and shared semi-private rooms to accommodate needs and budgets. All include the latest adjustable beds and nurse call systems for self-sufficiency. Their on-site salon and therapy gym also see updates with new equipment purchased. While not brand new, consistent upkeep supports safe functioning for years ahead.
Leveraging Technology to Enhance Care
From electronic medication administration records to prevent errors to secure video conferencing for virtual visits, Shawnee Gardens implements various technologies to deliver quality care. Their EMAR system, for example, taps into pharmacy records to ensure accurate, on-time delivery of complex medication regimens with less risk.
They also utilize telehealth carts facilitating appointments with offsite specialists that minimize the need to transport elderly residents elsewhere. Tech-enabled care both provides convenience and improves health outcomes in a cost-effective manner over time.
Rigorous Health and Safety Protocols
When evaluating nursing homes, assessing their approach to infection prevention, COVID-19 measures and overall CMS health standards offers insight into safeguards for vulnerable seniors. Shawnee Gardens implements thorough protocols and sees fairly positive inspection results.
Per recent audits, they deliver proper handwashing techniques and use EPA-approved disinfectants to sanitize high touch areas. For COVID-19 specifically, they conduct routine staff testing, screen all visitors, and cohort positive residents away from others when detected. Their swift outbreak response earns recognition as both residents and employees avoid severe cases so far.
Meeting Health and Safety Requirements
Shawnee Gardens holds a federal five-star quality rating for health inspections measuring adherence to regulations for medication use, resident rights and care planning. They receive citations at times for minor issues like incomplete documentation but correct them timely without patterns of repeat defects.
They also developed extensive emergency plans from mass evacuations to essential generator power backups to handle disasters. While no location is perfect, Shawnee Gardens' inspection track record and preparedness offer some assurance of responsible health safeguarding overall.
Reviews, Ratings and Accreditations Overview
Examining nursing home reviews, ratings across sources and accreditation status provides perspective into real experiences and care quality. Shawnee Gardens garners mixed yet generally positive reviews and ratings along with accreditation by The Joint Commission recognizing healthcare organizations meeting rigorous standards.
Ratings Across Medicare and Other Sources
The CMS Medicare Nursing Home Compare tool granting one to five stars rates Shawnee Gardens with average marks for health inspections and staffing while assigning above average four stars for quality of resident care. Seniorly and A Place for Mom also give slightly above average ratings based mainly on recent positive reviews regarding caring staff.
While Shawnee Gardens does not achieve perfect scores across rating systems, their steady, average to above average performance offers some confidence in delivering consistent care. Of course, prospective residents should still consider ratings in combination with in-person visits when deciding.
Understanding Care Costs at Shawnee Gardens
Paying for senior care introduces confusing financial questions. So what exactly does ongoing nursing home care cost at Shawnee Gardens? As a Medicare and Medicaid certified facility, they accept different payment types that influence overall rates.
Their daily fee spans $195 for standard shared rooms to $215 for private suites depending on accommodation upgrades. This requires residents pay privately or use long-term care insurance. Medicare does not cover this level of care. However, they become an option covering temporary skilled nursing or rehabilitation services up to 100 days based on diagnosis.
Payment Assistance Options Available
For low-income Kansas seniors dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, the latter may provide coverage for Shawnee Gardens. They also accept veterans benefits and some health plans while running financial assistance programs providing discounted care for qualifying individuals unable to afford the full cost.
Discussing budget, insurance details, benefit eligibility and financing early while comparing rates to local alternatives allows planning care at Shawnee Gardens or similar Shawnee nursing homes suiting unique situations.
Local Partners Enrich Resident Experience
Shawnee Gardens understands collaborating with community partners also boosts offerings for their residents. Thanks to a long-running partnership with Kansas State University nursing students, for example, residents receive weekly health check-ins tracking vitals and get social interaction with new friendly visitors.
They also work occasionally with the University of Kansas Medical Center training future geriatric specialists. These student rotations and research trials enable access to leading techniques. Volunteer groups from local schools, businesses and non-profits also connect regularly whether assisting activities, donating meals, or fundraising for facility improvements.
Building Meaningful Community Engagement
Caring for seniors does not stop at healthcare. Staying active within their community also promotes mental, physical and emotional well-being. Shawnee Gardens thus facilitates resident volunteer work and hosts intergenerational programs. Residents even make dog toys for the local shelter or bake holiday treats for the food pantry.
Staying engaged with purpose and interacting with community members of all ages enriches quality of life--and Shawnee Gardens recognizes that through strategic initiatives both in and outside their walls for those they serve.
What Residents Value Most About Shawnee Gardens
While all statistics and ratings provide helpful insight, what current and past residents highlight as most meaningful offers real-world perspective into pros and cons.
Overwhelmingly, reviews praise Shawnee Gardens' hard-working staff for providing thoughtful care and dignified support even when confronting health challenges associated with aging. Many specifically credit nurses and nursing assistants for getting familiar with nuances ensuring personalized care.
Survey Systems to Continuously Improve
Shawnee Gardens distributes annual resident satisfaction surveys to solicit feedback essential for improvement. They collect input on meal enjoyment, activity desires, staff responsiveness and more which then informs training and quality initiatives updated yearly.
Recent Feedback Friday meetings also created a new open forum for residents to share perspectives directly with department heads. Implementing processes welcoming both positive and constructive commentary demonstrates their focus on enhancing experiences continuously.
We hope this extensive guide supports your Shawnee nursing home search by spotlighting key details on offerings at Shawnee Gardens for you or your loved one. As the next step, you can contact Shawnee Gardens to schedule a personalized tour to get to know their community.
Be sure to observe care interactions, chat with visiting family members and consult current residents if possible during visits to verify findings that resonate for your situation. Comparing across other Shawnee options also helps match services suiting specific needs.
With an understanding of Shawnee Gardens' range of medical and senior living services, costs and what existing residents highlight as strengths, you can make an informed decision. Reach out with any other questions as you navigate this process finding the best nursing home fit.