9 area nursing homes in state's top 25

1/1/2008

Nine northwest Ohio nursing homes broke into a list of the top 25 facilities statewide in terms of patient satisfaction.

Leading the nursing home list in the region was Meadows of Leipsic, followed by Sacred Heart Home in Oregon, both of which had an overall satisfaction score of more than 96 percent, according to survey results recently released by the Ohio Department of Aging.

Those two nursing homes also were among 25 statewide with perfect scores for two key questions: whether residents would recommend the facility to relatives and friends, and whether they liked the facility overall.

"It was a good accomplishment for everyone here - I know everyone's proud of it," said Stephen Apple, executive director of 80-employee Meadows of Leipsic, which includes a 38-bed nursing home. The campus also has 48 villas and 25 assisted living units.

Between July and December last year, interviewers met with more than 24,000 residents statewide to ask them how satisfied they were with care, activities, meals, administration, laundry, and other aspects of their nursing homes, according to the Ohio Department of Aging.

Of the 955 participating facilities, 518 scored higher than the statewide average of 86.2 percent, according to the state department.

The highest overall score statewide was 99.3 percent garnered by Wellington Place in North

Olmsted. Meadows of Leipsic had the highest score in northwest Ohio with 96.8 percent.

Mr. Apple said Trilogy Health Services LLC of Louisville, which owns Meadows of Leipsic and other northwest Ohio facilities, makes patient satisfaction a priority. Quarterly telephone calls are made to family members to ensure everything is going smoothly, and two van trips are made in the community every week, he said.

Meadows of Leipsic has Sunday brunch once a month for residents and their families, and special attention is paid to all meals, Mr. Apple said.

"It's more like a dining-room style than just a regular nursing home," he said.

Meals and the socialization that go with them also are important at Sacred Heart Home, a 25-bed nursing home for needy elderly owned by Little Sisters of the Poor, said Sister Alphonse Marie Jones, administrator. The more than 100-employee campus also offers a 25-bed assisted living facility, 25 apartments, and a senior center.

Making residents happy is the goal of Sacred Heart, which has outings and other activities for residents and various types of therapy, Sister Alphonse Marie said. Poor people benefit from good nutrition, security, and interaction with others, she said.

"You just see them really blossom after they move in," Sister Alphonse Marie said.

Other northwest Ohio nursing homes on the list of top 25 overall in patient satisfaction are, in order from highest, Ursuline Center in Toledo; Vancrest Health Care Center of Delphos; Convoy Care Center; Roselawn Manor in Spencerville; the transitional care unit at St. Rita's Medical Center in Lima; Arlington Good Samaritan Center, and Hilty Memorial Home Inc. in Pandora. All scored 95 percent to 95.9 percent.

St. Rita's transitional care unit also had a perfect score on the two questions about recommending the facility and overall satisfaction. Other northwest Ohio facilities on that list were Elizabeth Scott Community in Maumee, Great Lakes Transitional Care in Sandusky, and the transitional care unit at Lima Memorial Health System.

Full survey results will be available at www.ltcohio.org in early January. Results from a survey of assisted living facility residents will be available online in February.

Contact Julie M. McKinnon at:

jmckinnon@theblade.com

or 419-724-6087.