Caledonia Argus

Grant helps local nursing homes gather data

Posted: 6/15/04

By David Heiller
Argus News Editor

High occupancy at the Lutheran Home in Caledonia indicates that it has the right number of beds.

Thatís just one of the conclusions that came from a grant that eleven local nursing homes have received, according to Lutheran Home administrator Lloyd Swalve.

All 50 beds at the Caledonia facility are full, Swalve said on June 3. That makes him and his staff believe that it is the right size for a skilled nursing bed facility.

Three years ago the facility had 74 beds. That was reduced to 62 beds a year ago. Eight beds are in lay-away status, meaning they could be brought back with a yearís notice, but that is unlikely to happen, Swalve said.

The market analysis came as part of a study that a private consultant, Pat McCullough, did for them. McCullough, who has a business called Health Planning and Management Resources in Edina, is also preparing a report for the consortium for nursing homes in Houston and Fillmore Counties.

Swalve said that McCullough will come up with a business plan on how different nursing homes can work together to keep elderly people independent as long as possible.

That is also the goal of the grant: to expand and integrate services to enable older adults to remain in their own homes and communities.

She also wants to give ideas to the communities on ways to reach that same goal.

For example, Swalve said, people who are caregivers need respite from that job. Nursing homes could help by being a place where people could stay for a week or two. But that isn'tí easy to do now, Swalve said, due to regulations and too much costly paperwork.

McCullough also did extensive inventorying of housing options, so that she could project how people could stay in their homes longer, Swalve said.

Community meetings

In March, McCullough held 33 community forums, including three in Caledonia. They were geared to professional staff in the community, the children of the elderly, and senior citizens themselves.

ìI think those meetings were a very important aspect of the whole process for our consultant to get a good feeling of not only the needs but also what does exist now for the elderly,î Swalve said.

McCullough also visited with some of the acute care facilities in the area like the Mayo Clinic in Rochester and Franciscan Skemp and Gundersen Lutheran in La Crosse. She met with their discharge planners to get their perspective on placement of people in their care, which Swalve said would be helpful to his nursing home.

About three fourths of the grant still remains, Swalve said. It will be used for implementing recommendations from the business plan. It will probably buy some professional time and some equipment.

ìThereís a lot of new technology out there to aid elderly to stay independent,î he said. For example, there is computer equipment and software as for things like coordinating transportation and volunteer services.

ï Alzheimerís unit: The Lutheran Home has postponed adding an Alzheimerís unit until it gets the results of the recommendations that come from the consortium effort. ìIf the recommendation is not to do an Alzheimerís unit in Cal, but to do a rehab care [unit] . . it could very well be that the focus would shift from Alzheimerís to rehab care,î Swalve said.

ï Rates rising: Swalve said rates are going up slightly in July . The rates, which are set by the state of Minnesota, are an average of $125 per day. The state increased the rates $5.50 per day to help balance the state budget, Swalve said.

But the legislature did not authorize an increase in funding for nursing homes for operating rates. That did not sit well with nursing home administrators, Swalve said.

That is also the goal of the grant: to expand and integrate services to enable older adults to remain in their own homes and communities. She also wants to give ideas to the communities on ways to reach that same goal.

That is also the goal of the grant: to expand and integrate services to enable older adults to remain in their own homes and communities. She also wants to give communities ideas on ways to reach that same goal.

Swalve said. ìItís really challenging, but at the same time weíre not sacrificing our care in order to balance our budget.î

11 nursing homes in consortium

A consortium of nursing homes in Houston and Fillmore Counties called Southeast Minnesota Nursing Home Consortium received a two-year, $220,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Human Services that expires in June of 2005.

The goal of the grant is to expand and integrate services to enable older adults to remain in their own homes and communities.

The 11 nursing homes are:

ï Chosen Valley Care Center, Chatfield;

ï The Lutheran Home, Caledonia;

ï Harmony Healthcare;

ï Valley View Nursing Home, Houston;

ï La Crescent Health Care Center;

ï Green Lea Manor, Mabel;

ï Ostrander Nursing Home;

ï Preston Good Samaritan Center;

ï Good Shepherd Lutheran Services, Rushford;

ï Tweeten Health Services, Spring Grove;

ï Spring Valley Care Center.

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