It is what it is........

State Survey. If you have ever worked in a nursing home, retirement home, or the like, you know what a state survey is. We are currently in our third day of our annual survey. The stress is so thick you can cut it with a knife. Having to come to work several hours early, and remaining until the last of them go home for the evening, which is several hours after our scheduled time to go home. Everyone is just exhausted! Add a little stress, and wow, the days are long.

Our administrator, owner, walks up and down the halls, with his hands in his pickets, pacing the halls. The DON runs from unit to unit, watching everyone, asking staff question when the opportunity presents itself. The other nursing staff hide, whenever they can get away with it. And I have never had such good participation and help from the staff to get people to and from programs. When they are in programming, the staff don't have to worry about them.

As for my department, I believe if you are doing what you are suppose to be doing, everyday, you have nothing to worry about. Does that decrease the stress, no, not at all. I have several new employees, who have never been through a state survey and they are very nervous. Truthfully, they do a great job, they just don't have the confidence or experience to know it.

The truth be told, activities is the best place to be during a state survey. Nursing and Food Service is their main focus. As long as you don't give them reason to focus on activities, they usually don't.

I'm told, by the other departments that my department is doing 50 to 60% more activities than the girl before me did. I don't have anything but their word to go on, I just believe in keeping them busy so as not to get into mischief. As luck would have it, I had two concerts scheduled so far this week and another one scheduled for tomorrow. After all, this is December. Everyone always wants to come and volunteer, you know, give back. (It's too bad they don't want to give back more months of the year but with the survey there, I'm not complaining.) This being the Christmas month, I also had scheduled, a craft everyday for the memory impaired unit and several time a week for the other units. Add a Christmas bingo and a little trivia and some other word games and the days have gone by pretty quickly. Having enough staff sure helps tremendously.

The only concern so far, was a resident council meeting, with only state survey people present, asking the residents questions. From what I hear of that, things went pretty well. They actually praise the activities and activity staff. Makes coming in early and staying late well worth it.

We still have one more day, but we have a great team and a beautiful place and resident who are very complimentary of the staff. Will we get 100%, probably not, but I think we are going to do just fine. I'll say a prayer just the same.

Quote for the day: See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation. Isaiah 28:16