JOEL LANDAU SURPRISES HARLEM CENTER STAFFERS WITH BONUSES

Allure chairman Joel Landau, accompanied by delegates from the 1199 Service Employees International Union, presented a bonus of $1,300 to each of the 250-plus employees at the Harlem Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation during an appearance at a previously scheduled employee-appreciation event on June 27.

“We wouldn’t be here if not for you all,” Landau told the group. “Thank you all for your hard work.”

Matthew Fenley, Allure’s Chief Business Development Officer, also addressed the assembled workforce.

“It’s not working for Mr. Landau; it’s working with Mr. Landau,” he said. “That same notion is what we feel and what I personally feel, every time I set foot inside Harlem Center.

“This is something a long time coming for you, (and is) obviously very well-deserved. Thank you to 1199 for your partnership here. We look forward to caring for our patients and community, each and every day.

COO MELISSA POWELL PRESENTS AT POST ACUTE 360 STRATEGY AND SOLUTIONS CONFERENCE

The Allure Group COO Melissa Powell recently presented “The Role of Social Media in Managing an Online Image” on June 26 at the Post Acute 360 Strategy and Solutions Conference at the Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor, Md.

In it she emphasized the extent to which negative online media activity can affect a skilled nursing facility — how a single Glassdoor review, tweet or press mention can have dire consequences.

THE ALLURE GROUP CELEBRATES THE 4TH OF JULY

We had so much fun celebrating the 4th of July with residents across our centers. From fun and games to delicious treats, we hope everyone who came enjoyed the parties as much as we did!

A special shout out to Miss Sophia Smith, pictured below, who is 102 years old and we think deserves a best dressed award for the day!

PET THERAPY AT LINDEN CENTER

Pet therapy for the elderly has become a popular method of therapy for senior citizens. In fact, the documented benefits of interaction with pets are mental, emotional, and even physical.

Residents at our Linden Center enjoyed some pet therapy on Tuesday July 10th with an adorable poodle who came to visit.

SUMMER FUN AT THE ALLURE GROUP

Rabbi Stern kicked off the summer by inviting The Allure Group’s residents to his home for a barbecue that saw entertainment provided by two well-known American Hasidic Jewish singers, Yeedle Werdyger ad Levy Falkowitz.

Yeedle, who has released six solo albums and numerous collaborations, is known as a master of contemporary Hasidic music. Levy, the front man for the band Freilach and a performer in the Shira Choir, recently released his debut album, “Achke Loi,” after appearing on numerous albums.

Safe to say that a good time was had by all there, as was the case on Father’s Day, when our resident dads were honored at celebrations in all our centers. Nor did we forget about the fathers on our staff; they were accorded a salute that day, too.

Other June events included a spirited bingo tournament and a horticultural event that afforded residents the opportunity to learn about summer flowers — and take one with them.

NOBODY TRULY GOES IT ALONE

Joel Landau also wrote a piece for entrepreneur.com about the scourge of loneliness, which is fast approaching epidemic proportions in the U.S. Seniors are far from immune; 28 percent of those ages 65 and above live by themselves, and such isolation has been known to contribute to physical and mental decline.

Landau went on to note that one eldercare facility began a “togetherness initiative” that calls for employees to make weekly calls to residents who might be isolated, a program that has had a positive impact on both parties.

In the United Kingdom, meanwhile, a group of entrepreneurs is connecting with seniors through everything from sewing programs to virtual reality.

The Allure Group’s Harlem, Hamilton Park, Crown Heights Centers Honored with prestigious Eli Pick Award

The Allure Group’s Harlem, Hamilton Park and Crown Heights Centers were all honored as winners of 2018 Eli Pick Facility Leadership Awards, presented each year by the American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA) to the nation’s top-performing skilled nursing facilities. Click here for full blog post.. 

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Healthy Habits for Summer

As the school year wraps up and summer approaches, we know you will be spending more time outside enjoying the warm weather with your loved ones. Here are some tips for staying healthy and active to keep in mind with the summer upon us:

1. Stay hydrated: While there is some debate about how much water you should drink in the course of a day, there is no debate about doing so during the summer months, as it helps you avoid such potentially dangerous conditions as sunstroke.
2. Remember the sunscreen: Doing so reduces the chances of sunburn and skin cancer, and enhances the skin’s overall health.
3. Eat healthier: Summer offers the opportunity to enjoy such seasonal foods as corn, watermelon, cherries and blueberries. Bon Appetit!
4. Get some exercise: There is no better time of year to get out in the fresh air and enjoy a nice walk — or, for the more ambitious, an invigorating pool workout.
5. Dress for the weather: Wear moisture-wicking or loose-fitting clothing, as that will keep you cool.

The Allure Group Featured in Skilled Nursing News

Melissa Powell, our chief operating officer at The Allure Group, the challenges of turning around a distressed skilled nursing facility for a piece that appeared May 24 on the website skillednursingnews.com. The topic is one with which Powell has great familiarity; she saw Allure’s Harlem Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation go from 83-percent occupancy in 2013 to 97 percent four years later.

Powell talked in particular about the importance of keeping the lines of communication open with staff when undertaking a turnaround.

“I think when you’re going into a building to turn it around, you need to allow the staff to be open and honest and allow them to feel comfortable,” she said. “Tell them: The fact that you’re distressed is not your fault, per se … tell me what you’re doing well, be honest with what you aren’t doing well.”

Ice cream social at king david center

Just in time for summer, we had a great time cooling down at our recent ice cream social at King David Center on Wednesday June 13th. Thanks to all of our residents who came to enjoy these sweet treats with us!

Dr Bhandari Moderated A Panel At The UN

The Allure Group’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Rekha Bhandari, moderated a United Nations panel discussion on Jaipur Foot, on May 23.

Her appearance came shortly after the Jaipur Foot exhibition, which ran May 14-18 at the UN and was organized by the Bhagwan Mahavir Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS), a non-profit organization dedicated to providing artificial limbs to disabled people all over the world, free of charge.

The Jaipur Foot (or Jaipur Leg) is a prosthetic limb for those who have undergone lower-leg amputations. To date over 1.55 million people have been fitting with such devices, mostly in India but also in 26 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Our Rev Edward Lai Received A Stars Under 40 Award

The Allure Groups Corporate Director of Asian Initiatives, Edward Lai, was one of 45 individuals to receive a Stars Under 40 award from Schneps Communications at an awards and networking event at the Grand Prospect Hall on May 3.

The award-winners were recognized for achievements in business and public service before the age of 40.

Highlights From Nursing Home Week

We had a great time celebrating our incredible staff over Nursing Home Week which was held this year from May 13th – May 19th. We are thankful every day for all of our amazing team members, thank you so much for all that you do for The Allure Group!

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What’s Next: Robotics in Elder Care

As the number of elderly around the world climbs, the global rehab robots market is expected to grow, as well. Demand for robotic technologies will continue to rise as patients and families seek better care, and our society struggles to maintain the ratio of medical caregivers to elderly patients. In the US alone, the healthcare industry employs over 4.5 million nursing aides, orderlies, home health aides and personal care aides. And we still face a shortage of skilled labor. Robots can potentially bridge that divide. Click here to read more.. 

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Happy Holidays from The Allure Group!

Wintertime is here, and with it all of the lights, snow flurries, and cheer a New Yorker could ask for. Hanukkah started on December 12th, Christmas is right around the corner, followed by Kwanzaa, and spirits are as bright as December 21’s solstice celebrations. With January, now a stone’s throw away, will come heartfelt goodbyes to 2017 and hopes and dreams for the year to come on New Year’s Eve and Day.

At The Allure Group, we have residents of all cultures and backgrounds celebrating winter holidays with their nearest and dearest. We’ve taken great care to honor the traditions of all festivities in each of our facilities. Nothing brings warmth to a home like tinsel, greenery, and shining Menorahs — not to mention the accompanying gifts and food.

From our family to yours, we wish you a happy and safe holiday together.

Quality Recognition at The Allure Group

A big congratulations to Harlem Center and Linden Center on being recognized by the AHCA/NCAL for outstanding quality of care! This is national recognition for achieving certain quality measures, a huge accomplishment and a testament to our great staff’s hard work implementing Allure’s processes.

The Quality Initiative, from AHCA/NCAL, builds upon the existing work of the long term and post-acute care profession by setting specific, measurable targets to further improve quality of care in America’s skilled nursing centers and assisted living communities.

The Quality Initiative Recognition Program honors AHCA/NCAL member skilled nursing care centers and assisted living communities that achieve a number of goals through the Quality Initiative. We’re excited and humbled by this honor!

Leadership at the Harlem Center and Linden Center will be formally recognized at their annual summit in front of hundreds of healthcare professionals in mid-March.

Lights Up Brooklyn Festival with the American Cancer Society

On December 8th, The Allure Group joined the American Cancer Society and Relay for Life in lighting Luminaria bags to pay a glowing tribute to those brave individuals who lost their battle to cancer as well as those who are currently battling it.

Relay For Life is a community based fundraising event of the American Cancer Society. The lanterns helped the fight against cancer in two ways — first, the proceeds for the bags went towards Relay For Life fundraising efforts. Second, they spread awareness around the borough about this important cause using the hashtag #LightUpBklyn.

EarlySense Comes to Bedford Center

EarlySense, a contact-free monitoring system, recently went live at the Bedford Center, making  The Allure Group the first nursing facility in Manhattan or Brooklyn to fully adopt this breakthrough technology. The Bedford Center launch went great and we’re installing at King David Center as we speak. Stay tuned for updates on the upcoming rollout.

This innovative system allows the Allure team to track the vital signs of patients through sensors placed under pillows or cushions.

The Allure Group staffers can use that information to nip any potential problems in the bud. It has been discovered, for instance, that the implementation of the EarlySense system has led to a 45-percent reduction in falls, a 60-percent reduction in bed sores, and an 80-percent reduction in code-blue events.

PointClickCare EHR Live at Hamilton Center

On behalf of the Allure Team, we congratulate the Hamilton Park Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, for successfully migrating their EHR system from Visual to PointClickCare.

PointClickCare is the industry leader in Cloud based EHR systems, allowing us to provide the highest quality of care, improve our business performance, and simplify the complex processes related to regulatory compliance. This new system will allow Allure to continue to implement new Healthcare Technologies that easily tie into the PointClickCare System. Stay tuned for many future enhancements that will make your day to day workflow easier and more reliable.

Congratulations to the entire project team and thank you all for your hard work!!!!

The Rapid Growth of EMR in Healthcare

If in the past a physician was inclined to grab a pen, he now grabs a mouse. If he once scrawled a patient’s particulars on a notepad (often leading the latter to wonder just how anyone can possibly read such penmanship), he now enters the information into a computer.

Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) have gone, in short order, from novelty to necessity. Propelled in no small part by federal edict, they are now as common as a stethoscope, the hope being that their use will lead in time to better, less expensive care.

An EMR also allows medical professionals to monitor a patient’s progress and share that information with others as the situation demands — and allows the patient easy access, him- or herself, via computer, smartphone or tablet. An EMR shows when a patient is due for an examination or screening. It can help identify potential red flags.

In other words, it simplifies the entire process. No longer is it a matter of rooting through a bulging envelope and finding the proper paperwork. Now every aspect of a patient’s medical history is spelled out for doctors and nurses, and just a mouse click or two away. Important information is far less likely to fall through the cracks, and the possibility of errors in caregiving is minimized.

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