ThedaCare Maintains Skilled Nursing Facilities in Appleton, Berlin
ThedaCare unveiled the newly constructed Juliette Manor in June, a 37-bed skilled nursing facility, or nursing home, on the campus of Berlin Memorial Hospital. The new Juliette Manor replaces a facility of the same name built in 1964 that once served as the community’s original hospital. ThedaCare and CHN reached an affiliation agreement in 2014 that included a commitment by ThedaCare to invest in capital improvements within the CHN service area.
he decision to invest $10.9 million in the reinvention of Juliette Manor is based on the belief that nursing homes remain vital and relevant in today’s healthcare system, said Tina Marchan, administrator at Juliette Manor. “We fill two very different roles in healthcare,” she said. “Not only are we helping people during short-term rehabilitation with 24/7 care and therapy after a hospital stay, we still fill the traditional role of providing long-term services for frail people, often until the end of their lives.” The updated design of the new Juliette Manor helps staff better meet the needs of varied and changing patient and resident populations, she said.
People on multiple medications, with advanced dementia, incontinence, or with other complex conditions often cannot be safely cared for at home or assisted living facilities, yet residents’ strengths and abilities can be optimized in a high quality long-term skilled nursing environment, said Cindy Grindheim, administrator at ThedaCare’s Peabody Manor, a 58-bed skilled nursing facility in Appleton, “In a skilled nursing facility, residents get the care they need so they can spend their time and energy on the activities that still bring them peace and joy,” she said.
Activities programs at nursing homes are required to be tailored to each person’s interests, abilities, and psycho-social needs. Environmental design, like ample use of natural light, artwork, indoor plants, and outdoor healing gardens and courtyards are also part of a nursing home’s obligation to engage residents in meaningful activity and sensory stimulation.
Skilled nursing facilities also provide healthcare service and support beyond their walls, said Marchan, because they are community centers for seniors and their caregivers seeking information and help. “It’s ironic, but one of our responsibilities is to help families delay or avoid moving a loved one into a skilled nursing facility,” she said. Staff at Juliette Manor often help direct families to services in the community like home healthcare or home hospice services. “We genuinely believe in providing the right level of care at the right time in the right place,” said Marchan, “and many times, we can help get the right services into a person’s own home.”
The reinvention of Juliette Manor in Berlin did away with an aging building and mechanical systems in need of expensive repair. Since the old facility was originally built as a hospital, the rooms were small, and multiple floors were difficult to navigate.
“The new Juliette Manor has large easily accessible private rooms, each with their own bathrooms and showers. Our rehab gym is on the same floor as the sleeping rooms, and staff and residents are all within line of site for safety,” said Marchan. The new facility features lots of natural sunlight and both indoor and outdoor green areas. New nurse call and security systems enhance resident safety.
For more than 100 years, ThedaCare™ has been committed to finding a better way to deliver serious and complex healthcare to patients throughout Northeast Wisconsin. The organization serves more than 200,000 patients annually and employs more than 7,000 healthcare professionals throughout the region. ThedaCare has seven hospitals located in Appleton, Neenah, Berlin, Waupaca, Shawano, New London and Wild Rose and 34 clinics in nine counties. ThedaCare is the first in Wisconsin to be a Mayo Clinic Care Network Member, giving our specialists the ability to consult with Mayo Clinic experts on a patient’s care. ThedaCare is a non-profit healthcare organization with a level II trauma center, comprehensive cancer treatment, stroke and cardiac programs and a foundation dedicated to community service. ThedaCare Regional Cancer Center in Appleton opened in February. For more information, visit www.thedacare.org or follow ThedaCare on Facebook and Twitter.
