Life Care Center of East Ridge achieved Gold rehab standard in parent company Life Care Centers of America’s 111-point quality audit.
Each Life Care building undergoes an annual audit of its core rehab program, assessing how the team works with other departments to provide a cohesive plan of care. Auditors (regional rehab associates with Life Care) score the rehab teams on four key areas: environment, human resources, clinical programming and systems management.
Facilities that achieve Gold standard are shown to have a strong, stable therapy team that is eligible to develop a specialty program based on the community’s needs.
“Being a Gold facility holds weight in the community as it shows we provide the highest quality care to our residents,” said Ben Zani, executive director at Life Care Center of East Ridge. “We achieved this designation through hard work, the vast knowledge of our rehabilitation staff and the excellent leadership of Melissa McCranie, our rehab services manager.”
Zani credited the way other departments at the facility work in tandem with the therapists.
The facility has also designated a specialty rehab area: neurological disorders. Therapists are being trained in treatments designed for Parkinson’s disease, strokes and traumatic brain injuries.
New equipment will include the Myomo upper extremity device, which helps restore movement, as well as the Interactive Metronome, which helps improve coordination and cognitive skills.
“We are also one of a very few facilities statewide that offer the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment program,” Zani shared, “which has been proven to be one of the most groundbreaking and effective methods in treating Parkinson’s disease.”
For more information, please call the facility at 499-3922, and ask for the rehabilitation department.