Email:info@flhoffman.com

From: Frank L. Hoffman
To: Patricia Outhouse – 518-843-3503 – FAX 843-3537
Date: 10 April 2002

View this, other related reports and photos on the Internet: www.flhoffman.com/mm/

Meeting Attendance:

This meeting report is intended to be a "living document" that will be updated each week to incorporate the various suggestions, desires, and wish-lists that are intended to improve the operations, programs, and physical plant of Montgomery Meadows for the next 18-20 years (The 2020 Vision).

Initially, we will be looking at five major categories: operations, programs, physical plant, financial analysis, and market analysis, each of which is more fully described below.

(A review of the procedures that are effective and don’t need changing, and the things that can be improved or added.)

• 30 stations required
• Include laundry tracking and labeling system for residents’ clothing

• Relocate to the main floor
• Eliminate linen carts passing lobby

• At main entrance
• Part of reception
• Increase site lighting in parking area.
• Have high intensity lighting come on if exit alarms go off at night.

• Find ways to minimize need to work in them
• Increase the height and establish an exterior entrance

(A review of the existing services that are effective, those that need to be enhanced, and those that could be added.)

(A review of the existing physical plant and the repairs, improvements, renovations, additions, and/or replacements that may be required.)

1. Maintenance and/or replacements necessary to maintain the status quo, including associated costs:

• Lyle received an estimate of $250,000 for the main section of the building (does not include the wings).
• Roof replacement should incorporate renovation changes.

• Use pagers instead of speaker system.
• Have classical music on speaker system
• Have voice mail
• Have combination of phone pagers to allow voice communication

• Some critical parts are no longer available from manufacturer (Dukane)
• Lyle is trying to obtain used parts as a stop-gap measure
• Replacement cost utilizing existing wiring is approximately $100,000.00
• Should be done as part of renovation, which would most likely involve new wiring

1. Additions and renovations required for operations and programs, including associated costs:

• Enclosed courtyard for dementia residents
• Gardening areas
• Raised planters for resident access
• Dining with covered area
• Change lighting so that it does not shine in bedrooms

• Smoke from smoking lounge could be smelled in non-smoking areas
• Renovations to laundry area may supply sufficient air and air conditioning to other areas of the lower level
• Relocate both laundry and staff lounges to main floor

• Have a welcome sign and flower garden at the entrance road
• Have canopy extend half way into driveway to create a covered area for drop-off and pick-up, and a by-pass lane beyond the canopy.
• Expand the park and garden setting on both sides of the main entrance and include the center of the circle.
• The existing lounge is very nice but should be extended through the adjacent office and men’s locker room.
• The wall between the lounge and the lobby entrance should be removed.
• Vault the ceiling in the lobby
• Move the vestibule closer to the driveway to enlarge lobby.
• Create an indoor planter with skylights beside the new vestibule that is open to the lobby
• New reception desk that is open to the lobby
• Find a way to hide the view of the dish room from the lobby and entrance.
• Suggested revision plan was reviewed at the meeting

• Create a solarium on the exterior side of the dining room
• Install new folding partition where old partition was installed
• Vault ceiling to incorporate skylights.
• Install mood-lighting (chandeliers and sconces)
• Suggested revision plan was reviewed at the meeting

• Does not need windows

• Staff
• Community
• Could be in clinic/day care addition
• If laundry and break rooms are relocated to main floor, convert area to air-conditioned meeting rooms

• An exercise room should be included for both residents and staff.
• Travel distance could be a problem – we may require a secondary area for some resident programs

• Was closed before – staff must support it, if it is reopened
• Have a "good" coffee machine for break times
• Should be adjacent to kitchen
• Should be adjacent to break room
• Problem with existing vending machines (run-out, touchy)
• Increase number of vending machines

• Should be located near lobby
• Should be located near cafeteria

• Find way of storing bedpans in resident bathrooms
• New medicine cabinets that residents can reach
• Have roll-in showers in each room
• Have lockable cabinet for linen storage

• Will facilitate renovating of other wings
• Design all rooms large enough to accommodate sub-acute care – medical gasses could be installed at a later date.
• Opposite head walls with separate windows for each resident
• More private rooms
• Private rooms should have roll-in showers
• All resident rooms with roll-in showers
• Some residents may not want a private room
• All private rooms, with a few double rooms
• At resident council meeting all residents who responded preferred private rooms.
• Private rooms with roll-in showers would save staff time and preserve resident dignity
• Central nurses station and services (like Green Manor)
• If market study supports 80 adult home beds, build two new SNF wings and convert existing wings to adult home.

• Have visibility to every resident door
• Have a break and charting room
• Have head nurse office adjacent to nurses station
• Ideal layout cannot be achieved with present wing configuration
• Have larger medication rooms to allow for cart storage

• Locate with business offices (preferred)
• Locate at new employee entrance

• Locate at end of corridor near A-wing
• Relocate locker rooms to this location
• Locate as an addition near service entrance (preferred)

• Part of cafeteria
• Should be in an area separate from residents.
• Should not be in the basement

• Replace old roof top units with gas fired self-contained HVAC units
• New or renovated boilers to be dual fuel (oil and gas)

• Have air system temperatures at lower end of resident comfort range.
• Use perimeter heating as re-heat to increase room temperatures to individual requirements.

• Enclose dryers and have separate unconditioned make up air supply.
• Rearrange laundry to have a separate soiled room, and wash room, with each having 10 air changes of exhaust.
• Supply 10 air changes of air-conditioned air to the clean area which should balance with the exhaust air.

• Size should be approximately the size of the existing conference room
• Should have bed set-up
• Should have space for CPR training
• Should have classroom space.
• Have folding or stacking chairs

• Have enough room for 3-carts and work and storage space.

1. The costs associated with replacing the entire facility:

   Based on preliminary studies, it does not appear that replacing the entire facility would be cost effective.

2. A comparison and evaluation of the merits of proceeding with A and B (above), or with C (above).

(A comparison of cost trends over the years, with an effort toward finding ways to lower costs and improve income to overcome the loss of funding, and maintain a "profitable" status.)

• Mary Ann Leone provided a preliminary break-even cost analysis of operating a cafeteria.
• Break-even cost $54,750 per year
• Minimum 60 staff per day spending an average of $2.50 each
• Costs do not include capital component
• What is the cost of present coffee vs. having improved vending operation and break area

(A review of existing and potential residents who could help improve the Case Mix Index, and the feasibility of adding other levels of care.)

• On 22 March 2002 there were 10 empty SNF beds with 17 that could be relocated to an adult home, which would require 28 new residents to fill the SNF.

• On 3 April 2002 there were 12 empty beds with 17 that could be relocated to assisted living.

• On 10 April 2002 there were 11 empty beds with 17 that could be relocated to assisted living.

• Other facilities have vacant SNF beds, too

• The ideal nursing unit size is 40 beds.

• Preliminary indications are that Montgomery Meadows could fill more than 80 beds

• Preliminary analysis of hospital discharges indicates that there are enough PA’s to fill at least a 40-bed adult home with an assisted living component.

• If we can justify 80 adult home beds, preliminary studies indicate that it would be cost effective to convert the existing three nursing wings into 80 adult home beds.

• Past trial runs of special $2.00 meals only attracted about 20 staff members
• Better vending machines may be the answer
• A staff survey will be conducted

• Eliminate Montgomery Infirmary perception of Montgomery Meadows.
• "You not only get a nursing home, you get a family!"
• "Caring is what we do!"
• "A caring community!"

Montgomery Meadows: Home Page - Operations - Programs - Physical Plant - Financial Analysis - Market Study - Meetings - Report

Homepage • About us • Our Philosophy • Construction Management • Savings
Client Feedback • Who'd Hire F.L. Hoffman • Scope of Professional Services
Project Profiles • Newsletter • Contact Us
Your comments are welcome