It was my distinct pleasure to spend five weeks in rehab from a partial leg amputation. As a comparison I spent 3 weeks in hell in another Sussex County nursing home before coming to the Homestead. To say I was scared would be a huge understatement. My fears quickly disappeared. On my way in on the gurney, folks like nurses, aides, patients, cleaning personnel, and maintenance staff all smiled and said hello. They continued to do that all five weeks of my stay.
My room was spotless; was cleaned every day, and my sheets were changed daily.
Every morning an aide helped me to get ready for the day which began with 1-1.5 hours of physical therapy. I asked for the therapy which gradually built until I was ready to be fitted for my prosthetic leg. Some days i went back to PT to do even more if their schedule allowed. They encouraged me with kindness and competence. I met lots of people at PT all of whom wanted to be there according to their needs/abilities. By my third week, i had gotten to most of the people on the fourth floor. Some old friends, many new friends. Some few never left their room either by design or by choice. If by choice(excuse) then they missed a golden opportunity to improve their condition. Been there, done that, regret it to this day. Enough said.
The recreation department did some great things to lift the spirits of all. For instance: an ice cream social
with medically appropriate goodies for all, a luncheon with take out food from a local restaurant, and a group sing a long that was great fun. Plus, my favorite, ice cold water served twice daily!
The nursing staff was kind, efficient, always willing to help and just plain magnificent. You see i've been at this business of getting better for over 30 years. Over 35 surgeries, seven hospitals, lots of rehab facilities have made me an armature expert on nursing and nurse's aide services. The Homested is head and shoulders over the top of them all! The folks who kept my room so clean every day deserve praise also. They always had a smile on their faces and a song in their heart. They are just as important to building a positive climate as anyone else on the staff. Including the physicians who were most remarkable: Drs, Ruceff and Poshah. Remarkable because they actually listened to one. They, too, cared deeply about each patient and made time for small talk especially with the long term in-firmed.
Was the food any good? To a large extent that depends on the taster and to some extent on the cook(ers). Oh ye who complain - including me on occasion - try cooking for 300+ people 3 times daily for 7 days which equals 6,300 meals. Wanna try? Not I said the sometimes complainer. Perhaps its not always like MOM makes but take it from a fussy eater, it was pretty darn good. And--- one could place a special order for a chef's salad or a variety of sandwiches. A suggestion for thought, don't enable a complainer its like giving candy to a diabetic. It only makes them worse.
Now for the last and most important item. The leadership. The formal leadership and the leadership taken by every employee I observed. The formal leadership has built a healthy climate in the building that invites all to share in making the Homestead a growth oriented, healthy place to be. That is a very difficult atmosphere to achieve. My hat is off to all. Questions? Call me George Wilson at 973-214-6420 read more