Celebrating Our Community During Skilled Nursing Care Week

Every day, the St. Clair Health team cares for the people of this region. They also care about them. That is why St. Clair’s team members hosted a special event for residents at the Kane Community Living Center in Scott Township to celebrate National Skilled Nursing Care Week (NSNCW).

Kane Community Living Center is a local skilled nursing and rehabilitation center that provides short-term and long-term rehabilitative care. Managed by highly trained and certified specialists, they provide exceptional medical care to the surrounding assisted living community.

Regardless of life stage, age, or level of health, being able to participate in fun activities is critical to a good quality of life. This could not relate more than in an assisted living facility or nursing home. Not only can participating in enjoyable interests and activities help residents increase their psychological well-being, but it can also boost physical and social health by fostering new connections and providing a sense of routine.

In honor of this year’s NSNCW theme—Cultivating Kindness—St. Clair’s employees and Kane Community Living Center residents participated in a variety of activities to cultivate and spread kindness.

The community event included activities such as

  • Planting produce, herbs, and flowers donated by St. Clair for the residents to garden and collect the produce as part of a health and wellness activity at the center.
  • Decorating wooden plant markers and ornamental rocks for the garden beds and planters. This activity offers color to the garden beds and provides identification per plant.
  • Playing instruments and tunes as part of a music therapy session to bring joy to residents and let them participate in creating musical sounds.

In addition, St. Clair also supported beautifying the community center grounds as part of its donation. Cleaning the courtyard areas provides residents and their families with a pleasant and peaceful place to relax and enjoy each other’s company.

It is very important for skilled nursing residents to maintain their physical health as much as possible to reduce fall risk, improve cognitive function, and maintain a higher quality of life. Participating in physical activities, like some examples noted below, with a group not only helps improve physical function but also increases social engagement.

  • Yoga
  • Walking and stretching
  • Water aerobics
  • Gardening

To help residents stay as independent as possible, skilled nursing facilities often add a mental component to their activity selection. Keeping the mind active helps to slow down cognitive impairment as well as keep residents positive and engaged in daily life. Some mental engagement activities could include:

  • Book clubs
  • Playing instruments
  • Piecing together puzzles
  • Reading books or newspapers

St. Clair Health has close relationships with the local skilled nursing facilities as some of the patient population needs assisted living and rehabilitation services post-treatment. Employees engage with community partners and build new relationships to make sure the community needs are being met and always top priority. St. Clair’s core mission is to deliver expert care from people who care that is close to home.

St. Clair is always looking for ways to give back and support the community. Check out the St. Clair Community page by clicking here to learn more about the health system’s involvement and goals to improve access to care, healthy living, mental and substance abuse, and chronic diseases.