One of The Kenwood’s very own was recently honored with a prestigious industry award.
Our director of nursing, Greta Smith, received a LEAD Magazine Healthcare Leadership Award. Greta was nominated for the award for continually putting residents first and applying a personal touch in her approach to providing first-rate health services.
“Greta is truly an asset,” says Tom Rotz, executive director. “She invests the time to get to know individual residents and their families to understand their unique needs. This allows her and her staff to provide a resident-inspired approach to care.”
Greta has more than 25 years of experience in nursing management, with a focus in long-term care. At The Kenwood, she oversees all aspects of the clinical programs and operations, including staff education, to ensure a healthy and engaged lifestyle for residents.
“The Kenwood fosters an environment that allows us to do whatever is needed to make things happen for our residents,” says Greta.
“This includes spending as much time with them as possible, which allows us to gain a better understanding of their individual needs and interests. Knowing more is the key to providing the best care possible,” she says.
Central to our strong focus on providing individualized care to residents is our ongoing education opportunities we provide for our staff. We ensure they are aligned with evolving industry standards for personalized care. In fact, an important part of our health services education program is dementia training. All staff members, whether from nurses to housekeeping staff, receive a minimum of 10 hours of dementia care training upon being hired at the community.
“This is a big part of helping others understand how to connect with our residents who have some form of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease,” says Greta. “This really allows us to cultivate lasting relationships with our residents and their families.”
Congratulations again to Greta. Of course, we’re proud that she has been recognized with this award, but we’re extremely grateful that she is leading a team at The Kenwood to provide the very best in resident-focused care in an environment that emphasizes comfort and well-being. As a result, our residents can continue to thrive in an environment that embraces what they can do, instead of what they can’t.