Infinity Rehab Blog

May is National Bike Month: A Story and a Challenge from Mike Billings

I was traveling home from work last Friday going over in my mind some of the events of the past week as well as thinking about the week ahead.  It was a typical spring day here in Portland, OR – partly sunny, mild temperature, yet with the ever threat of a sudden shower.  About half way home, the skies darkened and unleashed a massive rain and hailstorm.  Not really a big deal, except that I had chosen to commute by bike that day.  In addition, because it was mostly sunny and warm when I left the office, I had also chosen to pack my rain gear and gloves deep in my backpack.

As I was cycling up that hill in the pouring rain and hail, hands numb from the sudden drop in temperature and hail pounding my head through the slits of my bike helmet, I actually started laughing.  I have many reasons for choosing to ride my bike, but mostly because it is fun.  On this cold, wet Friday afternoon, I felt like a little kid again, playing in the rain and could feel all the stress that had accumulated from the week melting away. You too can experience this delight by rethinking your daily commute by swapping the car for your bike.

May is National Bike Month.  This is a good opportunity to try active transportation if you typically use a car for commuting to and from work and running errands.  Like many of you, my work schedule as well as personal life requires that I use a car for most of my travel.  However, I try to commute by bike as often as possible – even during the wet NW winters.  Consider this:
•    40% of all trips in the U.S. are shorter than 2 miles yet Americans use their cars for 87% of all trips between 1-2 miles
•    27% of trips are shorter than 1 mile yet 62% of these trips are done by car
•    Half of all trips made in the U.S. could be done with a 20-minute bike ride
•    A quarter of all trips could be done with a 20-minute walk

People choose active transportation for many reasons:
•    Public Health Benefits
o    Bicycling and walking levels fell 66% between 1960 and 2009, while obesity levels increased by 156%.
o    Between 1966 and 2009, the number of children who bicycled or walked to school fell 75%, while the percentage of obese children rose 276%.
o    In general, states with the highest levels of bicycling and walking have the lowest levels of obesity, hypertension, and diabetes and have the greatest percentage of adults who meet the recommended 30-plus minutes per day of physical activity
•    Economic Benefits
o    Bicycling and walking projects create 11-14 jobs per $1 million spent, compared to just 7 jobs created per $1 million spent on highway projects
o    Cost benefit analyses show that up to $11.80 in benefits can be gained for every $1 invested in bicycling and walking
o    Households that walk and cycle as their primary modes of travel save an average of $694 per month
o    One mile of a four-lane highway costs about $50 million.  That same amount can pay for an entire network of bicycle and pedestrian facilities for a mid-sized city
•    Help the Environment
o    70,000 deaths every year in the U.S. are attributed to air pollution

So choose your cause and leave the car behind when you can.  Here are just a few suggestions to get you started:

o    Take a map and draw a one-mile radius around your home.  Try walking or biking trips within this circle
o    Go multi-modal – If you live a great distance from your destination consider combining public transportation with walking or biking.  Or drive part way and then bike the remainder.
o    Participate in any of the following:
o    May 9 – National Bike to School Day – Accompany your child to school by bike
o    May 13 – CycloFemme – The International Day of Women’s Bicycling
o    May 14 – 18 – National Bike to Work Week
o    May 18 – National Bike to Work Day

Enjoy the ride!

Tailwinds,

Mike

Angus Brown, Infinity Rehab Regional Sales Director, Joins the Washington Health Care Association Future Leaders Program

Infinity Rehab would like to congratulate Angus Brown, Regional Sales Director, for being chosen as a member of the Washington Health Care Association’s Future Leaders Program. The WHCA Future Leaders Program is comprised of eight

healthcare professionals that have been diligently selected from the three primary constituency groups (Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing, and Associate Business Members) and WHCA’s Women in Long Term Care Committee. Members have been identified for their passion and commitment to improving the quality and standards of care in the State of Washington.

2012 marks the inaugural launch of the Future Leaders Program. Its core mission is to prepare future leaders of both WHCA and the healthcare industry in Washington to anticipate change and to successfully advocate on behalf its constituents. The program consists of quarterly meetings and annual courses where members take part in a multitude of curriculum.

Angus Brown says he is deeply committed to improving the health care industry and long-term care services for seniors in the Pacific Northwest. “I think this is a terrific opportunity for me. Being a part of the Future Leaders group will give me the chance to truly make a difference.”

For over fifteen years, Angus has accumulated a unique managerial skill set by leading teams in a multitude of fields; including medical staffing services. His professional achievements and team-building credentials are highlights in his prominent success story. Angus is a frequent moderator and guest speaker at professional events. His passion for coaching and mentoring others has greatly attributed to the continued growth of Infinity Rehab.

Congratulations to all Our Friends that Received “Best in Class” Awards!

Infinity Rehab would like to congratulate the following facilities for achieving a “Best in Class” rating from their patient satisfaction surveys.  Best in Class means the facilities was rated as top 10% in each target area.  This is a tremendous accomplishment as it represents direct feedback from the patients we serve on a daily basis.

Bear River Rehab

• Understood Procedures
• Dignity and Respect
• Response to Concerns
• Involvement/Goals
• Pace of Progress
• Results Achieved
• Atmosphere/Therapy Area
• Knowledge/Skills of Therapists
• Recommend to Others
• Combined Average

Bethany Silverlake

• Atmosphere/Therapy Area

Christian Health Care Center

• Atmosphere/Therapy Area
• Equipment Quality

Clermont Park

• Equipment Quality

Columbia Lutheran Home

• Pace of Progress

Evenglow Lodge Retirement Center

• Overall Satisfaction
• Understood Procedures

Gateway Care And Retirement

• Pace of Progress

Rockwood At Hawthorne

• Atmosphere/Therapy Area
• Equipment Quality
• Knowledge/Skills of Therapists

Hillcrest Haven Convalescent Center

• Dignity and Respect

Hillside Rehabilitation Center

• Pace of Progress

Holly Creek Retirement Community

• Pace of Progress
• Combined Average

The Johnson Center

• Overall Satisfaction
• Understood Procedures
• Dignity and Respect
• Pace of Progress
• Results Achieved
• Equipment Quality
• Knowledge/Skills of Therapists
• Recommend to Others
• Combined Average

Landmark Care Center

• Involvement/Goals
• Pace of Progress
• Atmosphere/Therapy Area
• Equipment Quality
• Knowledge/Skills of Therapists
• Recommend to Others
• Combined Average

Lincoln County Care

• Pace of Progress
• Results Achieved

Good Samaritan – Loveland

• Involvement/Goals
• Atmosphere/Therapy Area

Marys Woods At Marylhurst

• Overall Satisfaction
• Understood Procedures
• Dignity and Respect
• Response to Concerns
• Involvement/Goals
• Knowledge/Skills of Therapists
• Recommend to Others
• Combined Average

Medina Nursing Center

• Involvement/Goals
• Knowledge/Skills of Therapists

Mini Cassia Care Center

• Overall Satisfaction
• Understood Procedures
• Dignity and Respect
• Response to Concerns
• Involvement/Goals
• Results Achieved
• Atmosphere/Therapy Area
• Equipment Quality
• Knowledge/Skills of Therapists
• Recommend to Others
• Combined Average

Oak Creek Rehab Center Of Kimberly

• Overall Satisfaction
• Understood Procedures
• Dignity and Respect
• Response to Concerns
• Involvement/Goals
• Pace of Progress
• Results Achieved
• Atmosphere/Therapy Area
• Equipment Quality
• Knowledge/Skills of Therapists
• Recommend to Others
• Combined Average

Oakcrest Rehabilitation

• Understood Procedures
• Dignity and Respect
• Involvement/Goals
• Results Achieved
• Knowledge/Skills of Therapists
• Recommend to Others

Park Shore Health Care

• Pace of Progress
• Results Achieved

Pinecrest

• Overall Satisfaction
• Understood Procedures
• Involvement/Goals
• Pace of Progress
• Knowledge/Skills of Therapists
• Combined Average

Roo Lan Healthcare

• Dignity and Respect
• Recommend to Others

Sante Of Mesa

• Involvement/Goals
• Pace of Progress
• Atmosphere/Therapy Area
• Equipment Quality
• Combined Average

Shoreline Health And Rehab

• Dignity and Respect

Rockwood South Hill

• Involvement/Goals
• Knowledge/Skills of Therapists

Stephenson Nursing Center

• Overall Satisfaction
• Dignity and Respect
• Involvement/Goals
• Equipment Quality
• Knowledge/Skills of Therapists
• Recommend to Others
• Combined Average

Summitview Healthcare Center

• Overall Satisfaction

Valley Good Samaritan

• Overall Satisfaction
• Response to Concerns
• Involvement/Goals
• Pace of Progress
• Results Achieved
• Atmosphere/Therapy Area
• Equipment Quality
• Knowledge/Skills of Therapists
• Recommend to Others
• Combined Average

Village Health Care

• Overall Satisfaction
• Understood Procedures
• Involvement/Goals
• Pace of Progress
• Results Achieved
• Atmosphere/Therapy Area
• Equipment Quality
• Knowledge/Skills of Therapists
• Recommend to Others
• Combined Average

Washington Care Center

• Knowledge/Skills of Therapists

West Hills

• Overall Satisfaction
• Involvement/Goals
• Knowledge/Skills of Therapists
• Combined Average

Transitional Rehabilitation Program at Christian Health Care Center Featured in Lynden Tribune

LYNDEN – The Christian Health Care Center has partnered with health Ministries Network, an extension of PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center, to provide complimentary healthcare support to senior citizens recovering from injury or illness.

Representatives of both organizations worked together to develop the customized care transition program that helps patients return home as safely as possible after receiving medical treatment. The new program is modeled on the work of Dr. Eric Coleman, professor of medicine at the University of Colorado.

“Studies have shown that providing additional support during transition times can reduce the chances of re-injury and re-admittance to the hospital by up to 30 percent,” said Dick Cathell, administrative liaison of Health Ministries Network and St. Joseph Medical Center.

Eligible patients returning home from CHCC’s rehab program are offered the opportunity to receive personal visits from Faith Community Nurses, including one at the healthcare center prior to discharge, one in their home and several phone calls over the next three to four weeks.

FCNs are professionally registered nurses. They help patients and their loved ones advocate for their personal needs, monitor the recovery process, prepare for follow-up visits with medical professional, navigate the complicated health care system, and provide support with medication management.

“Christian Health Care Center is an early-adapter when it comes to preventative health and wellness. They are currently the only care facility in our region that offers free transitional support. While unique now, we believe care centers across the nation will soon offer programs like ours to their patients,” said Cathell.

To learn more bout care transition services at Christian Health Care Center, visit chcclynden.org or call social services at 360-354-4434.

 

WWII Veteran and Stafford Resident Receives Congressional Medal of Honor

“I respect anyone, whoever they are, whatever country they come from. I have a great respect for people.” Those wonderful words are from Congressional Gold Medal recipient Ken Yaguchi.

Yaguchi, 89, was honored at The Stafford – a boutique retirement community that Infinity Rehab provides rehabilitation services for – on Tuesday March 13th where Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber declared Feb. 26, 2012 to be Nisei Veterans Day.

In a ceremony held at the Multnomah Athletic Club in Portland, OR, World War II veteran Ken Yaguchi, in addition to other veterans, received a Congressional Gold Medal — the highest award given in the United States from Congress — in recognition of his dedicated service during the war. A large ceremony was held previously in Washington D.C. after President Barack Obama signed the legislation to bestow the medals.

Click the below links to read more about Yaguchi’s life an achievements:

The Oregonian newspaper coverage.

Portland Tribune newspaper coverage

Lake Oswego Review newspaper coverage

The Stafford website coverage

 

2012 Infinity Rehab Continuing Education Symposiums – Teamwork, Camaraderie and Fun!

This March marked our 7th annual Infinity Rehab Continuing Education Symposium. Nearly 600 Physical and Occupational Therapists, Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants, Physical Therapy Assistants and Speech-Language Pathologists  gathered in Portland, OR for two days of Continuing Education classes and networking events. The Symposium is the largest gathering of therapists for CEU’s in the Pacific Northwest and continues to grow each year.

What began as a way for Infinity Rehab employees to maintain annual CEU requirements has grown into an event that encompasses hundreds of non-Infinity Rehab therapists from across the country. In addition to therapists, we also invite our customers as well. It was wonderful to see many of the Administrators and Nursing Directors of the facilities we provide therapy to attend courses such as Building Your Leadership Capacity and Interventions to Reduce Acute Care Transfers Using Interact Tools.

In between classes, attendees would gather in the main ballroom of the Jantzen Beach Red Lion to network with each other and interact with exhibitors. On display were some wonderful products and services for therapists to engage with; from state-of-the-art equipment to modalities and specialized seating equipment. The exhibitors really took the time to explain how therapists could integrate the equipment into existing therapy programs and the benefits patients would gain.

On April 10th, 2012, we will hold our 6th annual Midwest Continuing Education Symposium. We are expecting our largest turnout ever for this event. Click here to register.

To get an idea of the breadth of courses we offer, below is a selection of listings and a brief description of each class that was held at the Northwest Symposium.

Building YOUR Leadership Capacity
Speaker: Jennifer Green-Wilson
What is your leadership style? How can you motivate others to be more efficient and become the best employee they can be? This course will help you identify what your management style is and how you can be more effective in dealing with others.

Ethical Considerations for Withholding Nutrition & Hydration
Speaker: Denise Dougherty
What are some of the controversial issues and lessons learned from historical cases dealing with end of life issues? How can you approach patients, families and facility staff about these topics? This course will give you resources for these situations to help you develop your own approach and strategies to deal with these emotional issues.

Intensity & Dosage in Geriatric Rehabilitation
Speaker: Mike Studer
Can you do resistance training with elderly adults? What is intensive enough? How do you measure whether they are getting better or not? This course will discuss the theoretical framework for intensity training as well as evidence-based guidelines for prescription of proper dosage using appropriate outcome measures. Specific recommendations and considerations will be presented for various sub-populations of geriatric individuals.

Interventions for Geriatric Urinary Incontinence
Speaker: Susan Churchill
Why do individuals have trouble with incontinence as they age? What can therapists do to help their patients with these issues? This course will address these issues and give you some practical take-home ideas for your patients.
Therapy on a Shoestring Budget
Speaker: Marti Smith
Did you miss this course last year? It was a big hit and gave wonderful ideas to therapists about how to work in a facility/home/clinic that has limited resources to purchase commercially available equipment! Learn how you can do more with less!

Improving Communication with Patients Suffering Communication Disorders
Speaker: Michael Burns
Are you frustrated trying to get a patient with aphasia to follow directions in therapy? Do you feel aggravated when you can’t understand what they are trying to tell you? This course will review different causes of communication problems and how they impact the healthcare setting. Strategies will be presented to help bridge the communication gap and give you a tool kit of materials to use to increase comprehension when working with patients.

Interventions to Reduce Acute Care Transfers Using Interact Tools
Speaker: Demetria (Demi) Haffenreffer, RN, MBA
It is estimated that 60% of transfers from SNFs to acute care hospitals can be avoided. These transfers cost CMS millions of dollars. In October 2012, CMS will change reimbursement that will favor facilities with low rates of acute care transfers. CMS will assist in reducing the number of these transfers utilizing interact tools. This course will assist participants in establishing standards and measures for a quality improvement project that will include: evaluating current transfer rates and reasons for transfers, establishing training for nursing staff, determining the tools and pathways to be utilized and ongoing monitoring of the project’s success. The components of an effective quality improvement project will also be discussed.

Bring on the Green! Horticulture and Therapy. Part II: Ideas Abloom

Today’s blog is a continuation from last weeks Bring on the Green! Horticulture and Therapy. Cathi Lamoreux, CCC/SLP – an Infinity Rehab Director of Rehab – oversees rehabilitation services for several therapy departments in the Spokane, WA area. Cathi also has a certificate in Horticultural Therapy and is always finding ways to integrate creative therapy techniques to better suit individual patients. Recently, she has introduced horticulture into her sessions.

It isn’t really hard to figure out how to incorporate healthy gardening and nature activities into your practice.  As with any activity, the hard part is often the prep prior to the session, accessibility, having the time to gather supplies and set up the activity, engaging others to help with transport, clean up and the list goes on.

I find that the pressures of productivity often cause us to become less creative and to stick with our tried and true exercises and activities.  It isn’t that we don’t want to introduce something new or more creative, it is just that there isn’t a great deal of time to even think up something fun, meaningful and unique.

To inspire you to make the effort, here are a few benefits of gardening activities:

Physical
•    Exercise the eyes through visual scanning, seeing near and far, and improving special relationships
•    Exercise hands, fingers, arms and upper body
•    Motivate the resident to walk, stoop, bend, reach and maintain balance
•    Gives mild to moderate exercise in coordination, strength, stamina and physical activity when frequently nothing else will
•    Gives enormous pleasure through the senses; seeing, smelling, feeling, tasting and hearing
•    Motivates residents to use adaptive equipment as needed
•    Provides pleasurable physical activity for those with physical disabilities or sensory impairments who wish to enjoy gardening in any setting

Cognitive
•    Increases orientation
•    Exercises the attention span
•    Gives practice in following directions
•    Exercises the mind in terms of memory, logic and safety judgment
•    Increases interest in gardening and the natural world
•    Teaches new skills and techniques in horticulture
•    Stimulates understanding such abstract concepts as time, growth, death and change
•    Gives greater awareness of living things around us

Social
•    Promotes interaction by providing a common interest to discuss
•    Improves social skills, self-esteem and confidence
•    Gives practice in expressing opinions, formulating descriptions, asking questions, and exploring our sense of humor
•    Helps residents learn more effective work attitudes and behaviors
•    Motivates residents to work cooperatively with other people as a team
•    Promotes healthy interdependence
•    Lets residents explore horticulture as a hobby
•    Lends itself to many social activities; clubs, garden socials, contests, special meals, cultural celebrations and parties
•    Gives reason to go on field trips and getting to know the community better; garden-related businesses, greenhouse, nurseries, botanical gardens, parks and recreational gardens

Psychological
•    Increases self-esteem
•    Provides opportunities to relieve tension, frustration and aggression
•    Promotes interest and enthusiasm for the future
•    Provides opportunity for creativity and self-expression
•    Success-oriented activity builds a “can-do” attitude
•    Satisfies some of the client’s needs to be nurturing and caring
•    Enhanced skills for greater independence
•    Lifts the spirits of those who have little sense of purpose or hope through isolation and loss due to illness, accident, disease process, retirement or bereavement

Here is a list of some great ideas that will help you get started with bringing horticulture into your therapy sessions:

Activity Ideas
•    Planting seeds for fast growing plants such as wheat grass, marigolds
•    Flower arranging while reminiscing about past gardens
•    Take a bird walk and ID birds (keep count, discuss habitat, note different colors)
•    Read seed & nursery catalogs – find your favorite flower and tell why
•    Plant indoor bulbs – amaryllis, paperwhites, hyacinths
•    Make centerpieces for the DR tables or a resident’s room
•    Tomato tasting
•    Cooking with herbs
•    Using herbs as aromatherapy
•    ID cones
•    Plant a container with colorful annuals and/or vegetables on a patio where it can be     viewed
•    Watering and weeding of containers and/or gardens
•    Garden mobiles
•    Garden Party
•    Plant trivia – hold “did you know” sessions, challenge residents to recall one piece of     trivia and tell their tablemates or roommates and report back the next day
•    Make herbal or lavender pillows
•    Herbs – Growing and cooking with herbs
•    Make holiday napkin rings using vines, leaves and dried flowers
•    Water indoor plants
•    Make painted rocks
•    Make plant labels for plants in the garden and/or containers
•    Recite poetry in the garden
•    Make Tussie Mussies
•    Valentine’s Day crafts
•    Watch a gardening show or video and ask/answer questions
•    Tend bird feeders
•    Make a water garden
•    Watch butterflies
•    Match pictures of flowers, birds and/or butterflies to the real thing
•    Make potato prints
•    Order spring bulbs from catalogs

Being there when we see a breakthrough smile of someone who is depressed, watch for the first time when someone stands following an injury, or hear an aphasic resident speak makes it all worthwhile.   Breaking out of our routines and trying something new is also rewarding as a therapist and reinforces why chose to do what we do.

Bring on the Green! Horticulture and Therapy.

Today’s blog comes from the desk of Cathi Lamoreux, CCC/SLP – an Infinity Rehab Director of Rehab. Cathi oversees rehabilitation services for several therapy departments in the Spokane, WA area. She is always finding ways to integrate creative therapy techniques to better suit individual patients. Recently, she has introduced horticulture into her sessions.

What is so important about the color green?  The color green helps decrease stress when people are in strange, unfamiliar environments. Adding a plant to a new apartment or home, or a resident’s room helps decrease stress. In addition, a research study proved that looking at a green scene reduces fear and anger, lowers blood pressure, heart rate and tension in just three minutes with no negative side effects. Who would have thought that one little plant could do all of that? No wonder that mother nature cloaked the world in a sea of green.

We are hardwired to connect to nature. We didn’t start out living in houses, driving our cars, working inside a building. Humans lived on the land – slept, ate, worked, hunted. We were outdoor people who have gradually moved indoors. It is a revealing time study if you keep track for a week of the time you spend indoors, even if you are a person who is active outdoors at any time of the year.

What about the people with whom we work? How often do they get outdoors? How often do they have the opportunity to smell the roses, touch a leaf, or admire a vista? How often do we bring the outdoors in?

We are always challenged to look for a different way to motivate our residents, encourage them to reach just a bit further, initiate movement, cognitively engage, maintain attention long enough to benefit from exercise, and regain a sense of control.

As people move through the continuum of care, they gradually give up many of their leisure activities. How many times have you had a conversation with someone who laments not being able to participate in past pleasures? I often use the term “new normal” with my residents when we are having that conversation. It is one thing to validate the loss and another to do something about it.

I am working right now with a resident who was living in his own home in our retirement community. He is experiencing early stages of Alzheimer’s and was becoming increasingly unsafe in his home. A fall landed him in the hospital and then in our skilled nursing facility.  His family took the opportunity to close up his home and help him move into an assisted living apartment. Although, he was upset to leave his home, he acknowledged his need for assistance and has actually flourished in his new apartment, surrounded by friends in a familiar setting.

He is known in the retirement community as the person who always had the first ripe tomatoes! He can explain in great detail how he planted them in containers on his patio, tied them up to the post, positioned them for just the right sunshine, fertilized, watered and nurtured them to harvest. He talks about his tomato growing days in the past tense. But, why?  What a wonderful opportunity to use something he loved to do therapeutically.

We can walk the grounds to locate the best place for his tomato containers considering the variables of sun, safety, accessibility; determine who to approach for permission to use common space; browse catalogs for the different types of tomato seeds; develop a list of needed materials; work on a timeline for planting; problem solve the purchase of plants and materials; do the planting; develop a checklist to keep track of watering and fertilizing needs; maybe even take pictures of the various stages of growth and keep a journal; and, finally, enjoy the fruits of his labors. How awesome is that?

The timeline for this project is obviously much longer than a normal span of time I would spend with a resident in therapy. But, part of the activity can also be to engage other people in the project. How about activities, family, friends? All can be brought on board and help to see it succeed.

Many facilities have accessible outdoor spaces, raised beds, good seating, pathways, trees and foundation plantings. Do you use those assets therapeutically? Are they safe, in good repair, and accessible? Are the areas covered from intense sun? Can they be seen from the windows? Can family and friends use them during visits? Are there formal and informal activities held outdoors?

What does the facility look like inside? Are there live plants? Are residents encouraged to have plants in their rooms? Does the staff have plants in their offices? Are there good viewing windows for someone to be able to sit and look outside? Is there the opportunity to touch, smell and even taste plants?

Access to nature truly does provide purposeful, constructive activity that is valued by society and involves both mind and body. It is our job, as therapists, to open our eyes to the vast possibilities the natural world offers and to bring on the green!

Part Two of “Bring on the Green” will appear as next week’s Infinity Rehab blog post.  It will cover gardening activity benefits and suggestions for incorporating nature into your practice.  

Infinity Rehab Charitable Giving Update

Over the 13 years that Infinity Rehab has been in operation, the company has donated to a multitude of causes and organizations; ranging from local food banks, woman’s shelters and State Healthcare Associations. Mike Billings, PT, MS, CEEAA, President of Infinity Rehab, says it typically boils down to the employees own charitable motivations when it comes to giving. “We’ve donated over $13,000 to the Alzheimer’s Association over the past 4 to 5 years … often on behalf of our employees or clients.”

Cultivating and promoting a spirit of giving is rooted in the values of Infinity Rehab. “Integrity above all else” and “Passion for the quality of people’s lives” were written into the company’s values over a decade ago. As the organization expanded rapidly from a small group of therapy departments in Northern Oregon to becoming a leader of sub-acute rehab services in ten states, it became imperative to identify creative ways to continue its philanthropic mission.

During the Holiday season, Infinity Rehab employees have the opportunity to choose between receiving a gift, or making a donation to a charity. According to Holly Kandra, MPH, SPHR, Director of Human Resources, a large percentage of the 1,600 employees typically choose to make a donation. “It is heartening to see those figures, to know that our therapists are so willing to give back to the communities they serve,” says Kandra.

“We are a consistent sponsor for our State Associations’ educational offerings, as well as on behalf of our clients who raise funds for special projects, capital improvements, and charity care.” says Donna Mueller, Vice President of Business Development. Mueller estimates in-kind donations from Infinity Rehab total $45,000 annually. This includes training services provided to client facilities and materials purchased for charitable events. Mueller also noted that in lieu of giving gifts to clients, a donation to a charity is made in the client’s name.

The continual desire to give back – whether it is in-kind, or a donation made on behalf of an employee or client – has strengthened the bond of Infinity Rehab to each community it provides therapy services. Billings feels that this bond is exactly why the spirit of giving is so persistent amongst the company’s therapists.

“None of us would be in this industry if we didn’t deeply care about those we serve. As an organization we contribute to the industry on a daily basis through the actions of our professional associates. However, our organization is made up of individuals with the desire to volunteer and contribute philanthropically.”

Infinity Rehab Partners Shine in Oregon and Washington Nursing Home Rankings from U.S. News & World Report

Now this is news worth celebrating: 10 out of the 27 Oregon nursing homes selected for the U.S. News & World Report 2012 “Best of” Rankings are facilities Infinity Rehab partners with and provides therapy services. Click the name of the facility to read the report.

Fernhill Estates

Avamere Court at Keizer

Avamere Rehabilitation at Clackamas

Mary’s Woods at Marylhurst

The Pearl at Kruse Way

Village Manor

Avamere Rehabilitation of Junction City

Cascade Terrace

Porthaven Healthcare Center

Willamette View Health Center

 

According the U.S. News & World Report website: “All of the homes shown received 5 stars, the highest overall rating, from the federal government’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. A facility’s overall rating is geared to its performance in health inspections, nurse staffing, and medical care. Homes are ranked in tiers according to their star ratings in the three individual areas. Within each tier, the order is alphabetical.”

We also had six wonderful friends in Washington that made the list:

The Hearthstone

Rockwood South Hill

Seattle Keiro

Mira Vista Care Center

St. Francis of Bellingham

North Central Care Center

Way to go to all the staff at each of the facilities for their hard work and continued commitment to improving the lives of each person they serve!