Ahava Hospice

Latest News

Latest News

Success Story: Judith Minix

November 7, 2022

Boyd Nursing and Rehabilitation is excited to share resident Judith Minix’s Success Story!

Ms. Minix came to Boyd Nursing for rehabilitation following a brief hospital stay that left her weak and in a debilitated state, which inhibited her from returning home. Ms. Minix was optimistic to begin her rehabilitation journey, sharing compassion and delivering words of encouragement to other residents along the way. Over the course of her three week stay, Judith received physical and occupational therapy services to work on strengthening and endurance training, balance and mobility training, self care training, and instruction on strategies and interventions to achieve her prior level of independent function to return home. Ms Minix was successful in her rehab and returned home, reporting that she is happy to have had the opportunity to come to Boyd Nursing for rehab, and that she would like to be able to come back to volunteer, as she has always enjoyed doing for others. Congratulations to Judith and her Care Team on their success!

Success Story: Helen Davis

September 9, 2022

Boyd Nursing and Rehabilitation is pleased to share our newest success story of Ms. Helen Davis!

Ms. Davis came to Boyd Nursing for rehab in August following a recent hospital stay leaving her with mobility and self-care deficits.  Over the past month, Helen has cooperatively and diligently completed an individualized rehab program of strength and balance training, gait training, and self-care training to regain her functional independence to return home. We are pleased to announce that Helen has completed her rehabilitation stay and fulfilled her goal of returning home! She was welcomed home by her canine friend, Precious. Helen says “Therapy did me well. My hip no longer hurts and I am getting around good. I look forward to taking walks with my dog again but I will miss walking around the courtyard at Boyd looking at the flowers and watching the turtles.” Ms. Davis, we here at Boyd Nursing are happy to have been part of your successful recovery and glad to see you reunited with your dog Precious. We wish you the very best!  

Success Story: James “Roscoe” Montgomery

August 4, 2022

Boyd Nursing and Rehabilitation would like to take the opportunity to share the successful recovery of James “Roscoe” Montgomery!

Mr. Montgomery came to Boyd Nursing for rehabilitation following hospitalization for a left foot infection which required extensive nursing care and rehabilitation. Over the course of his four week stay, Mr. Montgomery received physical and occupational therapy to work on strengthening, endurance, balance, mobility training to restore his independence to return home. Mr. Montgomery is now looking forward to going back to church, visiting his friends at the local mall, and crafting gifts which he enjoys sharing with so many that he encounters and befriends. Congratulations to James and his Care Team on their success!

From the Desk of the CEO: Celebrating National Nursing Assistants Week

June 21, 2022

“I entered skilled nursing as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). During this role, I developed love and compassion for the elderly. It gave me an opportunity to learn who each of these people were, hear their stories, and listen to the words of wisdom they often imparted to me. They encouraged me to continue to grow and make a difference in long-term care. As I continued in my healthcare journey, there were various leaders who believed in me and continued to provide opportunities and experiences. I continued to grow from one role to the next all while expanding my education of the field. I am thankful for each role that I’ve held through the years. Each member of the nursing team is important and needed, but the role of a CNA is invaluable. They are the backbone of the long-term care industry. They are often the unsung heroes that become more like family to a Resident than a caregiver. We honor and give gratitude to those CNA’s that answer the call every single day and make unmeasurable impact.”

CEO, Bernie McGuinness

Success Story: Linda Blazer

June 17, 2022

All of us here at Boyd Nursing and Rehabilitation would like to share the remarkable recovery of one our residents, Mrs. Linda Blazer!


Mrs. Blazer admitted to Boyd Nursing in January of this year after having sustained a severe stroke, leaving her with significant functional limitations, as well as speech and language deficits. Over the last several months, Mrs. Blazer has demonstrated the utmost stamina and determination to regain mobility, her ability to speak, and to eat normal foods again. She did just that with the assistance of our multi-discipline rehab team and the care of our nursing and dietary Care Team members. Linda is now tolerating a regular diet, transferring to a wheelchair, and engaging in social and leisure activities.
Linda said that she wants to continue to regain her independence so that she can cook a home-style meal for her family once again. Congratulations to Linda and her Care Team on their success!

National Nurses Week: The History of Florence Nightingale

May 12, 2022

During National Nurses Week, take time to celebrate the founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale! Her endeavors to improve the aspect of healthcare has greatly shaped the quality of care by nurses in the 19th and 20th centuries. 

Currently, there are nurses all around the world putting their lives on the line to help stop the spread of COVID-19. It’s clear that Florence Nightingale’s impact on healthcare also helped pave the way for modern-day nurses and healthcare professionals to follow suit.

“With nurses around the world on the front lines of a global pandemic, it’s a poignant time to reflect on how Nightingale’s legacy laid the groundwork for their heroic work in hospitals today.” Says Greta Westwood, CEO of the Florence Nightingale Foundation. “She never took no for an answer – anything was possible.”

Also known as “The Lady with the Lamp”, Florence Nightingale started her nursing career in London, and later became appointed as the head nurse of the 1854 Crimean War. Nightingale’s passion and determination set her apart from others and got her the famous nickname “Lady with the Lamp” for checking on her patients via lamplight during the war. Not only did she care for her patients’ health, but she also often wrote letters to soldiers’ loved ones on their behalf.

The “Angel of the Crimea” made it her goal to lower death rates by improving hygiene practices in hospitals. She created numerous patient services that improved each patient’s quality of care while admitted in the hospital. She oversaw “invalid’s kitchen” where she set out food plans for patients that had dietary requirements. She also secured a laundry area so patients could have clean bed sheets and towels.

After the Crimean War, Nightingale wrote a book called Matters Affecting the Health, Efficiency and Hospital Administration of the British Army to share her observations and experiences while tending wounded soldiers. In 1857, the War Office’s administrative department was completely reconstruction due to Nightingale’s book and her experiences during the Crimean War, reforming several military hospitals that were under very poor conditions. (History.com Editors 2009)

In August of 1910, Nightingale became ill and was battling with heart failure. She died a week later at her home in London, bringing her life to an end at 90 years old. (History.com Editors 2009) Two years after her death, the Florence Nightingale Medal was created by the International Committee of the Red Cross, dedicated to be given to exceptional nurses every 2 years. In 1965, International Nurses Day was also created, residing on Nightingale’s birthday to continue celebrating her accomplishments. (Alexander 2018)

Despite her unexpected death, her legacy continues to live on at the Florence Nightingale Museum, which is located at the exact same spot of the original Nightingale Training School for Nurses. The museum holds over 2,000 artifacts to memorialize the mother of modern nursing. (History.com Editors 2009)

Florence Nightingale’s legacy is important to note during significant time for nurses courageously fighting on the frontlines during the pandemic. Notes Westwood, “Florence would be so proud of what nurses have managed to achieve during the pandemic.” (Haynes 2020)

References:

https://time.com/5835150/florence-nightingale-legacy-nurses/

http://history.com/topics/womens-history/florence-nightingale-1https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/florence-nightingale

National Nurses Week 2022: Month Long Discounts and Freebies

May 10, 2022

We are preparing for an amazing celebration of National Nurses Week this year! Many companies are showing their gratitude for nurses and healthcare workers by offering awesome deals and freebies during Nurses Week and throughout the year. Whether you are a healthcare worker looking for a good deal or you’re shopping for a healthcare hero in your life, check out these great deals valid for the entire month of May for Nurses Week 2022!

Food & Drinks

  • Mrs. Fields – Take a look online at this sweet selection of cookies in the Heroes Collection of cookie tins, which honors healthcare workers.
  • Outback Steakhouse – Grab a hot meal and a big thank you! Show your industry identification to get 10% off your bill. The discount is not available via ordering online.
  • Texas de Brazil – Enjoy a night or lunch out with a delicious selection of steaks (salads too!) and save 15% with a valid badge or ID.

Retail

  • Amazon – Curl up with a selection of four free medical drama books, specially curated to celebrate nurses.
  • Adidas – Receive 30% off in-store and on the Adidas website, and 20% off at factory outlet stores, when you verify your status as a nurse with ID.me.
  • All Seasons Uniforms – Spruce up your closet with 20% off all medical apparel, such as scrubs, lab coats, and cleanroom clothing. Use discount code NURSE20.
  • ASICS – Medical professionals and first responders, including nurses, physicians, police officers, and firefighters, can enjoy 40% off ASICS products. When you verify your healthcare worker status using SheerID, you will receive a on-time-use promo code.
  • Brooklyn Bedding – Don’t snooze on this offer. Get 25% off and free shipping on your entire order of mattresses, pillows, sheets, and/or foundations. Verify your eligibility via ID.me during checkout.
  • Lenovo – Need to upgrade your technology? Take an extra 5% off products sitewide, excluding doorbuster deals and select clearance products. Verify your healthcare worker status with ID.me during checkout.
  • L.L. Bean – Enjoy 15% off one purchase after verifying your employment status through SheerID. This discount is valid on merchandise purchases are llbean.com, retail stores, or by phone.
  • Lululemon – Receive 15% off in-store or online purchases.
  • Nike – All medical professionals and first responders in the US are eligible for a 10% discount. Verify your profession as a nurse with SheerID to get a one-time-use promo code.
  • Purple – Take 10% off any order purchased at purple.com or Purple retail showrooms, after verifying employment status through SheerID. Click on the “Verify Eligibility” button to start the process. Once approved, you will receive a single-use promotional code to use at checkout.
  • Ring – Stay safe with a 20% discount savings on select Ring Doorbell products.
  • Rothy’s – Enjoy some cool comfort with 20% off a pair of washable shoes. Verify your nurse status and claim the savings at online checkout.
  • Under Armour – Take advantage of 20% off at UA.com and in UA Brand House stores. Choose the Military and First Responder Discount at checkout, and then verify your status as a nurse with ID.me.
  • Verizon – You and your loved ones can get a Start Unlimited plan (with unlimited talk, text, and data) from $30 per line with four lines. That’s an offer the whole family can enjoy!
  • Vineyard Vines – Save 15% on all apparel with a verified medical ID.

Travel

  • Budget – Available through the ID.me shop, Budget is offering a discount of up to 25% for nurses. Create an ID.me account or sign in to enjoy this offer.
  • Enterprise Rent-a-Car – Similar to the Budget discount, nurses, military members, and teachers can take up to 25% off their rental car costs with Enterprise. An ID.me account is required to access this discount.
  • National – Rounding out the trio of rental car companies’ offers for nurses through ID.me, National “lets you choose any car in the aisle and go” with up to 25% off.

In addition to this month’s discounts and freebies, Majestic Care is proud to partner with Panda Perks to give our Care Team members 24/7 access to discounts and perks on the brands you love! Give us a call to learn more.

Success Story: Linda Leforrest

April 20, 2022

Boyd Nursing and Rehabilitation recently had the pleasure of caring for Mrs. Linda Leforrest. This was not the first time that Linda had come to Boyd Nursing for rehabilitation, as she had visited us a few years ago with successful results and therefore chose to come to us again for her rehab needs.

This time was a little different, and perhaps more challenging because she was recovering from an extended and complicated hospital stay due to COVID-19 and pneumonia. Linda, with her vigorous personality, proved how strong she was by regaining the mobility and independence that she lost during that extensive hospitalization. Linda says that she is ready to return home to her little dog, Ruby, and get back to enjoying shopping and going out to eat with her daughters and granddaughters. We wish you the best return home and know that you are always welcome back to our home when you need us. Congratulations to Linda and her Care Team on their success!

Testing Strategies for COVID-19

April 18, 2022

Diagnostic Testing

Diagnostic testing is intended to identify current infection in individuals and should be performed on anyone that has signs and symptoms consistent with COVID-19 and/or following recent known or suspected exposure to SARS-CoV-2.

Examples of diagnostic testing include:

  • Testing anyone with symptoms consistent with COVID-19
  • Testing vaccinated and unvaccinated people who were exposed to someone with a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19

Screening Testing

Screening tests are intended to identify people with COVID-19 who are asymptomatic and do not have known, suspected, or reported exposure to SARS-CoV-2. Screening helps to identify unknown cases so that measures can be taken to prevent further transmission.

Examples of screening include testing:

  • Employees in a workplace setting
  • Students, faculty, and staff in a school setting
  • A person before or after travel
  • Someone at home who does not have symptoms associated with COVID-19 and no known exposures to someone with COVID-19

Public Health Surveillance Testing

Public health surveillance is the ongoing, systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of health-related data essential to the planning, implementation, and evaluation of public health practice. See CDC’s Introduction to Public Health Surveillance.

Public health surveillance testing is intended to monitor community- or population-level outbreaks of disease, or to characterize the incidence and prevalence of disease. Surveillance testing is performed on de-identified specimens, and thus, results are not linked to individual people. Public health surveillance testing results cannot be used for individual decision-making.

Public health surveillance testing may sample a certain percentage of a specific population to monitor for increasing or decreasing prevalence, or to determine the population effect from community interventions such as social distancing. An example of public health surveillance testing is when a state public health department develops a plan to randomly select and sample a percentage of all people in a city on a rolling basis to assess local infection rates and trends.

Regulatory Requirements for Diagnostic, Screening, and Public Health Surveillance Testing

Any laboratory or testing site that performs diagnostic or screening testing must have a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) certificate and meet all applicable CLIA requirements. For more information, see the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CLIA websiteexternal icon. Tests used for SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic or screening testing must have received an Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or be offered under the policies in FDA’s Policy for COVID-19 Testsexternal icon.

Tests used for SARS-CoV-2 public health surveillance on de-identified human specimens do not need to meet FDA and CLIA requirements for diagnostic and screening testing.

Reporting Diagnostic, Screening, and Public Health Surveillance Testing Results

Both diagnostic and screening testing results should be reported to the people whose specimens were tested and/or to their healthcare providers.

In addition, laboratories that perform diagnostic and screening testing must report positive diagnostic and screening test results to the local, state, tribal, or territory health department in accordance with Public Law 116-136, § 18115(a), the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. As of April 4, 2022, laboratories are no longer required to report negative results for non-NAAT tests (rapid or antigen test results). The Department of Health and Human Services published guidance on COVID-19 Pandemic Response, Laboratory Data Reporting: CARES Act Section 18115pdf iconexternal icon that specifies what data, in addition to test results, laboratories and testing sites should collect and electronically report.

Public health surveillance testing results cannot be reported directly to the people whose specimens have been tested and are not reported to their healthcare providers. Public health surveillance testing results (test results that are de-identified) can be reported in aggregate to local, state, tribal, or territory health departments upon request. Results from testing that is performed outside of a CLIA-certified facility or without an FDA-authorized test can only be reported to a health department if those results are used strictly for public health surveillance purposes, and not used for individual decision making.

Summary of Testing for COVID-19

 Diagnostic Screening Public Health Surveillance
SymptomaticYesNoN/A
Unvaccinated or vaccinated with known or suspected exposureYesNoN/A
Unvaccinated and Asymptomatic without Known or Reported Suspected ExposureNoYesN/A
Characterize Incidence and Prevalence in the CommunityN/AN/AYes
Testing of Personally Identifiable SpecimensYesYesNo
Results may be Returned to IndividualsYesYesNo
Results Returned in Aggregate to Requesting InstitutionNoNoYes
Results Reported to State Public Health DepartmentsYesYesIf requested
Testing can be Performed in CLIA-Certified LaboratoryYesYesYes
Testing can be Performed in a Non-CLIA-Certified LaboratoryNoNoYes
Test System Must be FDA Authorized or be Offered under the Policies in FDA’s GuidanceYesYesNo

To learn more, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/lab/resources/sars-cov2-testing-strategies.html

Success Story: Rita Deerfield

March 28, 2022

Boyd Nursing and Rehabilitation would like to recognize Ms. Rita Deerfield as our most recent Success Story!
Mrs. Deerfield was admitted to Boyd Nursing in September 2021 for rehab. She presented to us with a compromised health status, which required multiple re-hospitalizations over the course of the following months. As a result, she experienced significant balance and mobility deficits, decreased strength, and required extensive assistance with completing self care activities. With the help of physical and occupational therapy services, Mrs. Deerfield learned compensatory strategies and adaptive techniques throughout her rehabilitation process in order to regain her mobility and ability to perform her self-care to return to home. Congratulations Mrs. Deerfield, we are very proud of your progress and happy to have assisted you along the way!