RUMFORD — The Rumford Community Home received a five-star ranking from the nation’s official website for nursing home information and comparison, administrator Jeffrey Lacroix said Wednesday afternoon.

Nursing Home Compare, which is a part of medicare.gov, ranks nursing homes nationwide in several categories, including health inspection, staffing and quality measures.

“We’re mandated to send in data sets to the government every year,” Lacroix said. “We’re scrutinized by the government in terms of our performance. They look at our survey results, our staffing patterns and come up with an overall score.”

Lacroix said when he became administrator of the Rumford Community Home, it had a two-star overall rating, including low marks in staffing and quality measures.

“In the two years since I’ve been here, I made sure to focus on making sure our building offers quality care and staff stability,” he said. “I’ve made sure to hold staff accountable for the care that the residents receive, and making sure they know that the expectations made of them are not the expectations of yesterday.”

Among the changes are a rehab department, more staffing and higher wages for his staff.

During the summer months, Lacroix said he received word that the Rumford Community Home had been bumped up from a two-star overall ranking to a four-star ranking.

“A couple of months after that, I found out that we had been given a five-star ranking, which is huge for us,” he said. “At a certain point, we were looking at possibly closing, but we’ve made some big strides. People here are entrusting us to care for them. There’s not one specific, magic thing we’ve done to improve. Instead, it’s a combination of a lot of things.

“To me, the increase in our ranking is an indication of everything we’re doing finally coming to fruition,” Lacroix said. “I told my staff, ‘Our ranking is a direct reflection of you and the care you’re providing to residents.’”

One of the biggest changes is yet to come, Lacroix said.

“State agencies have been pushing for dementia care as of late,” Lacroix said. “Right now, we’re in the beginning stages of installing a dementia unit. Maine has the oldest population in the nation, and there are not too many nursing homes in the state of Maine that have dementia units, so it all fits perfectly.”

Lacroix said the dementia unit is in the very early stages, though there are plans to split it into four sections: a kitchenette, a dining area, a sitting area and a sensory area.

“Our kitchenette is nearly done,” Lacroix said. “There’s a hutch, a table and a functional sink. We’re replacing the cupboards and countertops in the kitchen and repainting everything.”

The dementia unit will have 17 beds  with each section painted in colors that draw residents to them, he said.

“We’re looking at bright yellow as a color,” Lacroix said. “A lot of times, with people diagnosed with dementia, they’ll wander around aimlessly. We’re looking for colors that will draw them in and make them interested.”

mdaigle@sunjournal.com

Copy the Story Link