Case Study: Ararat Nursing Facility

TOPICS: performance improvement-quality improvement program, career ladder, resident-centered care teams, multi-disciplinary meetings, recognition, coaching, mentoring, evaluations, status reports

SUMMARY: High quality staff and services have helped the Ararat Nursing Facility develop an environment consistent with its core values of compassion, dignity, respect, self-determination, empowerment, and flexibility.

Learn how this skilled nursing facility in Southern California has achieved 98–100 percent satisfaction with care and services among consumers and families, along with staff satisfaction rates averaging 95 percent.

Download the Ararat Case Study (pdf 834k)

Download the Ararat Overview (pdf 230k)

PODCAST: Coaching & Mentoring

Susan Yeranian Susan Yeranian, director of clinical services, discusses how coaching and mentoring are used to show respect for staff and bring out their best qualities.

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Recorded: January 14, 2010 | Duration: 02:18 | download mp3 (2.1MB)



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CHARTS:

Ararat sign
Ararat surveys their staff annually and have seen consistently high satisfaction rates -- 95% on average.

Outcomes at Ararat

Employer Outcomes Consistently low turnover: 3% overall. CNA turnover 0%-4%.
Occupancy rate is 99%-100% with waitlist
Increased efficiencies as employees are empowered to solve problems, freeing up leadership to focus on broader strategy
Employee Outcomes Consistently high employee satisfaction, measured by annual surveys--95% on average
Career advancement opportunities with associated wage increases. For CNAs, 50 cent hourly increase per level; 42% of CNAs have climbed career ladder
Resident Outcomes High resident and family satisfaction (98%-100% family satisfaction on annual satisfaction surveys)
Five out of five stars on CMS's Nursing Home Compare rating system
With a goal of a restraint-free environment, restraint rate has been reduced to 0% (prior to 1996, rate approached 40%)
Low rate of "hypnotic" (sleeping aide) use: only 6 out of 196 residents (prior to 1996, rate was 20%)

About the Case Studies

The Business of Caregiving is a series of case studies showcasing exemplary employers in the eldercare / disability services industry.
The organizations featured in this series have been selected for illustrating a "quality care through quality jobs" approach to sustaining and growing a long-term care business.
Support from The Hitachi Foundation helped make these case studies possible.