Date: August 7, 2008
Contact: Barbara Schoof Conant
barbara.conant@aging.ks.gov
Director of Communications
(785) 296-6154
Secretary of Aging to visit Brandon Woods
Secretary of the Kansas Department on Aging Kathy Greenlee will visit Brandon Woods Retirement Community, 1501 Inverness Drive, Lawrence, on Wednesday, August 13, to recognize it as one of this year’s PEAK Award winners. The awards were presented at the Governor’s Conference on Aging Services in May to 10 Kansas adult care facilities for their efforts to provide resident-centered care. PEAK stands for Promoting Excellent Alternatives in Kansas nursing homes.
Greenlee will tour the facility at 2:30 p.m., followed by PEAK presentations at 3 and 3:30 p.m.
“Brandon Woods and the other PEAK winners are leading the way in adopting and promoting resident-directed care,” Greenlee said. “The result is a more satisfying and rewarding experience for both residents and staff. Such enthusiastic and progressive leadership is one of the reasons Kansas has been recognized nationally as a leader in this change.”
Here are some of the characteristics that make Brandon Woods a winner:
Residents get up when they want and select activities they are interested in. Residents say they feel like family and are comfortable expressing their opinions to staff and administration. Staff work as a team and are involved in decisions regarding residents. Consistent staffing is assigned to each neighborhood. Newly designed resident suites with private rooms have sinks with side drains that were designed for easy access. Traditional nurses’ stations have been eliminated and replaced by desks and nooks in each hall. Volunteers from the University of Kansas, church groups and individuals from the community come by to entertain or do bingo, games and cards.
Other PEAK winners are: Atchison Senior Village, Atchison; Brewster Health Center, Topeka; Brookside Retirement Community, Overbrook; Cheney Golden Age Home, Cheney; Greeley County Long-Term Care Unit, Tribune; Johnson County Nursing Center, Olathe; Minneapolis Good Samaritan Center, Minneapolis; Parkside Homes, Hillsboro; and Village Shalom, Overland Park.
KDOA began recognizing adult care homes through the PEAK Awards in 2002. Facilities must submit an application for consideration for the honor. Finalists are visited by a panel of professionals before awards are determined.