The Fountains at Canterbury - Commitment to Quality Brings Rehab Goals to Life

What is the recipe for resident success? For The Fountains at Canterbury, it's one part each of teamwork and innovative services, and a healthy mix of staff dedication. The Fountains at Canterbury, located in Oklahoma City,is one of 18 communities operated by Fountains Retirement Communities, Inc. based in Tucson, Arizona.

The Fountains at Canterbury has never been a cookie-cutter community. In addition to creating a pleasant, thoughtfully planned environment where residents of all activity levels can thrive, the community also offers a flexible, unmatched continuum of care that can be tailored to meet individual needs. The retirement community houses a 120-bed long-term care facility, a 60-bed assisted living center and 2 Alzheimer care group homes. In addition, The Fountains offers a well-planned "independent" living environment complete with a heated pool and fitness area, 71 apartments and 8 cottages.

When The Fountains' administrators decided to outsource management of rehabilitation services in 1994, they tried a number of rehabilitation providers. In 1999, The Fountains turned to RehabCare Group — and they haven't looked back.

Ms. Bonnie Wells, Administrator of The Springs, the long-term care and Medicare skilled nursing area for The Fountains at Canterbury, took time to share how The Fountains community benefits from its partnership with RehabCare Group.

Q: Why did The Fountains at Canterbury decide to outsource its rehabilitation services?
A: We decided to outsource from the very beginning when we began our therapy program in 1994.

My background was in vocational rehabilitation, not in geriatrics, so I didn't feel confident enough to supervise therapy staff. Also, the market was extremely competitive for therapists at that time and they commanded high salaries. Just the thought of hiring a full-time rehab program manager was a real concern for us. We thought the best way to handle this was to outsource the program.

Originally, we started with a hospitalbased company, but we didn't feel they were providing the support services and consistent staffing necessary for the highest quality of care. With RehabCare Group, we found the support services, systems and therapy staff we needed — and I'm sure glad we did!

Q: The Fountains' operating mission is creating extraordinary communities where people choose to be. How does RehabCare Group fit into that mission?
A: In order to be the people's choice for care and services, The Fountains has to be different and better than the alternatives. Beyond the impressive everyday care RehabCare Group provides, I think their greatest contribution is through their outpatient therapy work. Our aqua therapy program is a perfect example. With RehabCare Group's help, we have been able to educate our residents at the independent level about the benefits of this kind of therapy. We have so many people from outside our community wanting to take advantage of the program because it can help them with their arthritis, knee problems or other conditions.

Q: What are some of the other services RehabCare Group provides for The Fountains?
A: RehabCare Group offers outpatient therapy services to residents throughout the entire community. As long as a resident's physician orders a service, the therapists< work at the appropriate level to provide that service. Therapists have been able to take a resident from skilled nursing and get them back to independent living. They can also work with a resident who will be moving into assisted living. Having a therapist that follows a resident throughout their stay, and helps them get on their feet after a decline, is something you just don't see very often.

Q: How does RehabCare Group address the issues< of waning reimbursement and cost concerns and still focus on quality of care?
A: Ever since we initiated the therapy program, we've tried to be conservative with the people accepted to our skilled program to make sure we are on target with Medicare guidelines. Because of that, we haven't had the denials that other facilities have had. At The Fountains, the director of nursing and the RehabCare Group program coordinator work together on patient care matters. In addition to resident assessments, we have regular meetings that include the rehab program coordinator, social services, admissions coordinator, director of nursing or Medicare coordinator, day shift nurse that runs the skilled unit — even the activity director and dietician. Ongoing communication is very important to our success as caregivers and, therefore, to our business success. Not only do we provide assessments and screening upfront, we also rely on good communication to coordinate discharges and make sure those are well-planned and successful. RehabCare Group is a big part of our overall commitment to quality.

Q: How has RehabCare Group blended with The Fountains' goals and care philosophies, as well as the staff?
A: As far as I'm concerned, they truly are — and always have been — part of our team. We believe communication is the key to success and the reason we've all been able to mesh so well. We want everyo to work together to determine what is best for our residents. The therapists are recognized as an integral part of our team and their knowledge and professionalism is well respected.

Q: Would you recommend RehabCare Group to other long-term care facilities?
A: Absolutely. Not only have I recommended them to other areas within The Fountains, but also to other facilities. It would be hard not to recommend them. In fact, one of the first things I tell people is how terrific our rehabilitation services are. They care about the residents and their customers, and are always conscientious about the level of service they provide.

RehabCare Group, 7733 Forsyth Blvd., Suite 1700, St. Louis, MO 63105. Tel: 800-677-1238; Fax: 314-863-6850.