Creating a Life in Harmony with our Senior Care Partners

​At Melody Living Lake in the Hills, we take pride in offering residents a robust way of life that includes the Eight Dimensions of Wellness as the foundation of our senior living community’s philosophy. Our unique community partnerships and expertise in the wellness dimensions are what allow us the ability to ensure that a Life in Harmony is well lived in our assisted living and memory care neighborhoods. Recently, we sat down with Lisa Cardella the Regional Director of Operations at Paxxon, one of our care partners, to share more about how this partnership is benefitting our community members.

Q: Can you please share your connection with Melody Living and Paxxon?

​A: Sure! We are the on-site Medicare Part B/Outpatient Therapy Provider! 

Q: What is Paxxon’s partnership with Melody Living and how is this beneficial to residents?

​A: We provide the Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy Services to the individuals that reside at Melody Living. It is our responsibility to ensure that the residents continue to function as independently as possible so they can age in place. Having an on-site therapy provider is extremely beneficial to the residents since they do not have to drive or seek a ride outside the community to see a therapist. They can just come on down to the therapy gym!

Q: What services do you find residents need the most?

​A: Most of our residents benefit from Physical and Occupational Therapy to reduce their fall risk, improve their ability to transfer, improve their ambulation and improve their participation with Activities of Daily Living. Speech Therapy is just as important if an individual is struggling with their speech, cognition or swallowing skills.

Q: What do you feel is most important about this partnership?

A: Communication is the key to any partnership in healthcare! It is so important that we communicate with each other, the rest of the healthcare team and the family members to ensure that we are all working together to do what is best for our residents.
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Q: Do you have a motto you'd like to share regarding what you do?

A: At Paxxon Healthcare Services, our company mission is to provide a full range of person-centered, evidence-based therapeutic services to maximize the individuals’ ability to function independently, thus enhancing quality of life. Paxxon Healthcare Services maintains Four Pillars of Excellence that speak to our commitment to service and customer satisfaction.

• Outcomes Focused on Functional Measures
• Uncompromising Integrity
• Compassionate Attentive Care
• Unwavering Professionalism

Q: Does this partnership include an onsite presence, if so, how often?

A: Yes, we have our own gym and office space! We are there at least 5 days a week but are also open on Saturdays and Sundays if needed!
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Q: How has this past year impacted what Paxxon offers, and how did they overcome this?

​A: We are still providing the same services that we did a year ago! We continue to provide the highest quality of care to our residents and deliver the most beneficial programs to our communities. The value and need for therapy services increased over the past year and we are needed now more than ever!
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Q: Can you share how Paxxon also is involved in the move-in process for residents and how you contribute to the overall safety of a resident’s new home environment?

A: As soon as a resident moves into Melody Living we are given the opportunity to introduce ourselves and ensure the resident is happy with their new home! We typically then schedule the residents for a therapy evaluation (we aim for the next day since move-in date may be a bit overwhelming) since we evaluate all new residents for therapy service! During this evaluation we create a plan of care and write goals that we want to address. Part of this evaluation would be an environmental assessment. So, we take the patient around their apartment and assess the living situation for any safety or fall hazards. Are there loose rugs? Do they have enough lighting to see where they are walking? These are just some examples of items we would be looking at! We want to ensure that the resident is safe in their new home-their safety is out top priority!

Paxxon has facilitated smooth transition at move-in to assist with residents being successful in their new home in the following ways:

• Assessing residents' initial mobility and recommending equipment to aide in safety and balance
  • Kris O - Paxxon OT recommended and provided resource to family for ordering a shower chair for improved safety during ADLs.
  • Joan D - Paxxon PT assessed patient for manual wheelchair following return to ALF from sub-acute to increase independence and allow for dynamic mobility at wheelchair level.
  • Art W - Paxxon PT recommended Rolling Walker and provided resource for ordering to family, resulting in increased independence (allowing him to move about the facility more safely), improved balance (with bilateral upper extremity support), and decreased risk for falling.

 

• Vitals monitoring
  • Art W - Paxxon PT performs vitals assessment every visit and identified orthostatic hypotension, which was communicated to RN so that Pt was continually monitored outside of therapy sessions to prevent episodes in future. PT also educated on importance of slow transitional movements to prevent orthostasis.
    
    
• Engagement with residents already living in the community
  • Jay G – During initial therapy evaluations under home health, Paxxon therapists introduced resident to "the ladies" of the community, facilitating connections/friendships and now resident is observed regularly interacting with others during and outside of formal activities.
    
    
  • Dan & Colleen N - Director of Activities & Paxxon Therapy worked together to orient Colleen to the activities schedule, which Colleen reported was a great way to get comfortable in her new home, especially in the absence of her husband (Dan), who was out of the facility for a total hip replacement.
    
    
• Screening for need of other services
  • Jerry M - Paxxon therapists identified signs of depression during sessions, therefore communicated these findings to leadership, and psych consult was initiated to prevent progression.

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Q: Anything else you feel is important to share about the Paxxon partnership?

A: We are so proud to be a partner of Melody Living! We strive every day to take care of the residents as if they were our own family members. We have dedicated staff that work incredibly hard and give 110% to each of their patients! We are grateful for our partnership and believe that are values align perfectly!