WINTER GROWTH INC

Winter Growth believes our clients still have the ability to have meaningful relationships and experiences and we have tailored both our adult daycare and assisted living programs to maximize each individual's capacity to be an active member of our community. While most adult daycare programs and assisted living homes are stand-alone facilities, Winter Growth recognized that the combination of the two programs under one roof would be beneficial for clients. With the inclusion of onsite an adult daycare program our residents can increase their circle of friends and find kindred spirits.

Most local assisted living homes that are small like Winter Growth, with 16 or less residents, do not offer private rooms for their residents. Of the homes that do have a few private rooms, none are available to clients funded by Medicaid instead, low income residents are required to share a room with a stranger who may be loud and disruptive due to the progression of dementia. Winter Growth, however, recognizes the importance of having a private space for everyone regardless of their funding source. Having to give up one's independence is difficult. No longer having your own home, the ability to take care of oneself, and the freedom to travel alone whenever you want can be an emotional burden. Winter Growth recognizes the sacrifices these individuals have made due to their declining health and is committed to ensuring that each resident has their own special space. Due to our commitment to honoring the dignity of all those we serve, these adults can have a private room to retreat to when they are tired, to privately visit with guests, and to create a space with their own pictures and personal belongings that makes it feel like they are indeed home.

Winter Growth is working to strengthen its person-centered care model. Person-centered care promotes choice, purpose and meaning in daily life. This approach will result in better quality outcomes with staff being able to identify and respond quickly and appropriately to the changing needs of our clients.

To accomplish this goal, staff is continuously reviewing current processes and procedures to determine what adjustments can be made to better serve client preferences. We examine many areas including our dining services, our current morning wake up times and evening bedtimes, and our outing schedule. Staff creates a process for clients and/or family members to effectively communicate preferences and choices about care and activities both at the start of their time with Winter Growth and on an ongoing basis.

Winter Growth has given much thought to the physical building. Instead of a sterile environment we wanted to create a feeling that you were visiting a friend for the day. For those with anxiety due to their illness, this feeling of visiting a home instead of an institution has made adjustment to the setting easier. With most of our clients suffering from some degree of dementia, the environment needs to be secure with locked entrance doors. To offset this inability to leave the building alone, however, our buildings have continuous hallways so that clients can walk without reaching a dead end. Along the way are several alcoves with chairs, some with puzzles or other items that may interest the walker. Our enclosed courtyards are also easily accessible by all so even those with severe dementia have the ability to wander outside on their own. The hallways are wide and lined with handrails for those with difficulty walking and those in wheelchairs have ample space to move around. The building itself is all on one level to allow for safe movement for all and the doorways are extra wide to allow for easy access between rooms.
Winter Growth has a fleet of vehicles that include wheelchair accessible vans. Our door-to-door service allows those requiring transportation to our programs to participate without navigating the more complicated or prohibitively expensive transportation services offered in the county.

To effectively complement Winter Growth's skilled nursing staff, our paraprofessional providers receive advanced training on the various illnesses that our clients experience. Both weekly meetings and monthly trainings focus on how staff can best provide services to the diverse population we serve. Staff have learned how to de-escalate anxious or even angry clients whose brain functioning has been compromised by dementia. We have brought in speakers to help staff members understand the impact of different mental health issues, such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia; on a client's experience at the center; and staff applies this knowledge when dealing directly with clients and when planning activities for our day program

Each weekday our residents and daycare clients have the opportunity to participate in a 45-minute exercise class. Over the years we have seen our clients maintain strength and balance which has a direct impact on decreasing the probability of falling. Daily brain fitness activities are incorporated into the programs to stimulate memory. Studies have shown that keeping both physically and mentally active can slow the rate of mental decline; and clients' family members have repeatedly confirmed that their loved one's memory issues have been noticeably impacted by Winter Growth's programming.