The Senior Scene

McCord Research, in partnership with Product Quest Manufacturing, has launched skin care kits called At Home – Where Healing Happens Skin Care. The product is for skin conditions commonly faced by seniors over the age of 65 and is based on the same medical protocol practiced by hospitals, long-term care and home health agencies.

“As Baby Boomers continue to age, it’s critical we make available treatments and remedies that address chronic skin conditions frequently faced by this population,” said John Regan, president of Product Quest. “At Home’s product line will ensure patients can improve their individual skin conditions and prevent serious complications from the comforts of their own home, the best place for healing to happen.”

The line’s eight kits include Diabetic Skin Care, Chronic Dry Skin Care, Antifungal Skin Care, Fragile Skin Bruising Skin Care, Venous Skin Care,  Incontinent Skin Care, Radiation Skin Care and Edema Skin Care.

Each kit has nutrient-rich healing qualities, said Dr. Elizabeth McCord, a skin health expert who developed the products.

At Home is available in select CVS Pharmacy stores and online at CVS.com. Additional  information is available at www.athomeskinremedies.com.

The state of Washington has approved Wesley Homes Home Health’s certificate of need for hospice care, a program that the King County-based provider of retirement homes and senior services expects will strengthen its continuum of care.

“This is our chance to create a model and philosophy of care that fits the Wesley Homes mission, to take our expertise and passion as dedicated individuals and create a team that best meets the needs and preferences of patients and their loved ones,” said Melinda Moore, executive director of Wesley Homes Home Health.

Currently, Wesley Homes clients and their families have to contract with another agency when hospice care becomes necessary.

Wesley Homes expects to receive licensure from the state this fall. The organization will then be able to serve private pay clients and will submit an application for Medicare and Medicaid certifications.

“Being Medicare-certified for hospice is the piece of our continuum of care that we don’t have right now,” said Moore. “It’s a part of our mission that we’ve had to hand over to other hospice providers. That’s not the smooth transition to end of life that everyone is entitled to have. Hospice care from us will simplify the process for families and improve each client’s experience. Communication is just with Wesley Homes and not with several different agencies.”

Receiving the certificate of need is just the first of a multi-step plan to become Medicare-certified for hospice, Moore n oted. The next step will be to create the actual hospice program, which includes setting up offices, staffing, and establishing policies and procedures.

Established in 1944 and affiliated with the Pacific Northwest Conference of the United Methodist Church, Wesley Homes operates two retirement communities and a Medicare and Medicaid-certified home health agency — Wesley Homes Des Moines, Wesley Homes Lea Hill in Auburn and Wesley Homes Home Health.

The not-for-profit organization also is developing a new community that’s planned for Puyallup. Groundbreaking for Wesley Homes Bradley Park is planned for this fall.

Gentiva Home Health and Gentiva Hospice have become Kindred At Home and Kindred Hospice in a move the company said reflects its participation in the nationwide Kindred Healthcare network of home health and hospice providers, nursing and rehabilitation centers and long-term acute care hospitals.

Management, ownership and staff haven’t changed, said Tad Covey, marketing manager.

“We have served the area since 1993, and we will continue to strive to provide the quality care our residents deserve and expect,” Covey said.

The renamed locations are in Bellevue, Bremerton, Kent, Puyallup, Seattle and Tacoma.

Kindred Healthcare Inc. is a healthcare services company based in Louisville, Kentucky with annual revenues of approximately $7.2 billion. It has approximately 102,000 employees at 2,700 locations in 46 states, including 95 transitional care hospitals, 19 inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, 92 nursing centers, 20 sub-acute units, 618 Kindred Hospice and Kindred at Home home health and non-medical home care sites, 104 inpatient rehabilitation units (hospital-based), and a contract rehabilitation services business, RehabCare, which served 1,752 non-affiliated sites of service.

The new rehabilitation and care center at Wesley Homes Lea Hill in Auburn has received its skilled-nursing home license from the state Department of Social and Health Services and has begun accepting private-pay clients for long-term care.

“After three years of fund-raising and 14 months of construction,” said Wesley Homes Lea Hill Executive Director Scott Hulet, “we are pleased to offer to the south King County community a boutique-style skilled-nursing center. It is designed to honor residents with dignity and privacy at what is a very vulnerable time in their lives,” said Scott Hulet, the facility’s executive director.

Comprised of 34 private suites and one semi-private suite with kitchenettes and en suite bathrooms, the rehab and care center provides services from a customized interdisciplinary team of professionals from nursing, culinary, life enrichment, chaplain services and social services. Comfort and hospitality are key components of the care plans for all guests.

“We are small, just 36 beds, but that allows us to really concentrate on each individual. Our entire environment is designed for the care and healing of our guests and long-term residents,” said Hulet.

The Wesley Homes Lea Hill Rehabilitation & Care Center is the only not-for-profit center of its kind in greater South King County that offers private rooms.

“In addition to serving the greater community, the center completes our continuum of care and allows Wesley Homes Lea Hill residents to receive services just steps away from their home,” said Hulet.

In order to provide rehab therapies, Wesley Homes has submitted applications and expect to complete the Medicare and Medicaid certification process in the next four to six months.

“We want to thank Wesley Homes Lea Hill residents for their contributions and the community and City of Auburn for their support of this project,” said Wesley Homes President and CEO Kevin Anderson. “I also thank Scott and his team for their hard work in preparing to receive licensure. It’s a very involved process, and they’ve done an excellent job. We all look forward to serving the community.”

The Wesley Homes Lea Hill Rehabilitation & Care Center held a grand opening ceremony on April 7, 2016.

Established in 1944 and affiliated with the Pacific Northwest Conference of the United Methodist Church, Wesley Homes operates two retirement communities and a home health agency. Wesley Homes Des Moines is a continuing care retirement community offering independent living cottage homes and apartments, assisted living, skilled nursing and rehabilitation. Wesley Homes Lea Hill in Auburn offers independent living Village Homes and apartments, housing with services, memory care and skilled nursing. Wesley Homes Home Health provides in-home care and Medicare- Medicaid-certified services to clients in King and Pierce counties.