Golden Living Center welcomes new administrator and nursing director
Staff writer
The little things matter.
A kind word. A gentle touch. Caring about people. Taking time to listen.
Sometimes those “little things” can mean happiness for others.
Nikki Teel and Kelly Karber focus on the little things and encourage the staff at Golden Living Center of Marion to do the same.
Teel has been executive director of the long-term care facility since March; Karber has been the director of nursing for about two months.
“We are focused on service excellence,” Teel said.
Recognizing the nursing home as a service business, Teel said better care of residents is the primary focus.
What does that mean? It means the staff and programs being patient oriented. It means individual care planning. It means being more in-tune to residents’ needs and less institutional.
“It doesn’t matter what pay source a resident is,” Karber said, referring to Medicare/Medicaid vs. private pay. “We look at what’s best for the resident.”
Some residents prefer living alone; others want roommates. Some residents need specific accommodations to make their room at the facility feel more like home.
Golden Living Center particularly prides itself on the quality of meals that are served, starting with local vendors delivering quality foods.
“We are a part of the company’s Five-star dining program,” Teel said.
Residents can choose menu items for each meal. If nothing on the menu suits their tastes, the dietitian will provide something that does.
The administrators were quick to recognize that there has been quite a bit of turnover in the past few years of management positions at the nursing home.
“The corporation wants longevity and stability, and hates the fact that there have been so many changes,” Teel said. Both agreed that they intend to remain long-term in their positions at the Marion home.
Previously to coming to Marion, Teel worked at a Golden Living Center at Wichita. She has been associated with long-term care for the past 10 years.
“I started as a dishwasher in a nursing home, then as a CNA (certified nurse aide), and worked my way up,” Teel said. She earned an administrator’s license that requires a bachelor’s degree and specialized training. Teel became licensed in 2004, after completing the requirements and passing a state and federal test. She also earned a master’s degree in business administration.
She and husband Harley live in Park City with their five-year-old son, Justin. The couple is expecting their second child in February 2009.
Karber lives in Gypsum with husband Lewis. They have three children, Jennifer, 25, who lives in Colorado; Matthew, 22, who is in the U.S. Air Force and is based in Omaha, Neb.; and 11-year-old daughter Ashley.
Karber was an LPN (licensed practical nurse) for 11 years before becoming an RN (registered nurse). She has been in a director’s role for eight years, working in 100-bed homes.
“I prefer smaller homes like the center in Marion with 53 beds because it offers a more family-like atmosphere for residents,” she said.
Another service offered is a rehabilitation program. This program provides often short-term restorative services for those recovering from broken bones, stroke, knee replacements, cognitive problems, cardiac rehab, and other conditions. The typical length of stay is 30 to 45 days, with two out of three patients in the program going home.
Helping residents adapt to nursing home living is at the top of the list for staff of the facility, Karber said. Typically, residents come to live at the nursing home because of an incident.
“Think about it. They may have had a stroke or broken bone, and suddenly they’re taken from their homes, into hospitals, probably have had surgeries, and then to a nursing home,” she said. “It is very traumatic for anyone but particularly for an elderly person.”
Personalizing rooms to feel more like home is important for the residents’ comfort. Residents are encouraged to bring items from home — a favorite chair, their own beds, and photographs. There are times when residents are admitted unexpectedly and there isn’t much time for moving.
“We offer a warm and friendly environment with fresh flowers to greet them when they arrive and some rooms already furnished,” Karber said.
The nursing staff becomes an extended family for residents, often being the only family.
“Our main focus is to go beyond expectations of our residents,” Teel said.
Every position is important at the nursing facility and Teel and Karber do not consider CNA positions “the bottom of the barrel.”
“That’s the root of our business,” Teel said. “I don’t like to hear employees say they are just CNAs.”
Most in the long-term care profession consider their jobs to be rewarding, particularly when there are success stories.
The two women related a story about a Alzheimer patient who had been turned down by four nursing homes before coming to Golden Living Center. No one else wanted to work with him. Since living at the Marion center, he has made strides such as being able to find his room and his chair at meal time, and being able to find numbers on a bingo card.
“It’s the little things that make us happy,” Karber said. “It’s so easy to fall in love with these residents.”
Looking to the future, the two administrators want the Marion community also to look to the future.
“I have never had a substantial deficiency as director of nursing,” Karber said, and she intends to maintain that standard at Marion. “Residents deserve better than what may have happened in the past and we’re here to make sure they receive the best care possible.”