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Like a second home

Liz Kellar / The Union - Staff Writer
Jim Bursey, the administrator at Meadow View Manor, prides himself on being accessible to everyone, from staff members to patients to family members. That’s why his office is next to the main nursing station and his door remains open.
“My policy is every manager’s door is open at all times,” Bursey said. “I want to be out there, I want to be involved.”
Bursey also clearly strives to make the facility as much like home as possible. There is a resident dog, Marcel, who makes the rounds of the halls — and residents are allowed to bring their pets, providing the animal makes it through the trial period.
“We have three dogs, three cats, a 16-year-old African Grey parrot, three parakeets, a pair of lovebirds and a tank of fish,” Bursey said.

They all get along, even the cats and dogs. The parrot, Bursey said, “has a potty mouth at times.”
And it’s clear the residents and their family members have recognized the extra effort being made to provide that “casual, relaxed atmosphere.” In a survey conducted by a national quality management company, My InnerView, Meadow View was honored with an Excellence in Action award that measured family satisfaction.
One standard Bursey continually strives to uphold is making sure all call lights are answered promptly.
“We make it everyone’s job to answer lights,” he said. “There’s nothing more frustrating than having someone walk by because it’s not their patient.”

Meadow View Manor, a 99-bed facility, has been open for 21 years. Approximately 60 percent of the patients are long-term residents, and the rest are short-term rehabilitation patients. The ages of the patients, Bursey said, range from 41 to 100.
Many of the long-term residents are at Meadow View Manor because they have no immediate family available to help take care of them. And more than a few made the decision to move in before illness or an injury forced the issue.
Rhovina Parmalee just turned 90 on Thanksgiving and has been a resident for six months.
She said she knew the time was coming when she would need assistance, especially at night.
“I decided it was a good thing to do,” she said. “It’s better to be aware of your surroundings rather than come in under painful circumstances.”
Parmalee gravitated to Meadow View Manor in large part because there is a rose garden and room to walk outside.
While she regrets losing her privacy, she knew there would be tradeoffs.
“Going out in the garden helps,” she said. “I go out and work my Sudoku.”

Parmalee had nothing but praise for the staff, adding that her family has been very pleased with the facility.
“I knew all along this was where I wanted to go,” she said.
Margie Ream, 86, did have a bad fall this summer, injuring the side of her face and rendering her temporarily unable to negotiate her apartment.
Once she was out of the hospital and finished with rehab, she said, the decision was easy to make.
“I needed an answer as to when I should come here and that was it,” she said.
She was very familiar with Meadow View, having done several rehab stints there in the past.
“I knew how good it was here,” she said. “I had no qualms ... It’s like my second home. It’s wonderful.”
Ream said she particularly appreciated the ability to socialize and attend different events, both at the facility and in town. The bulletin, in fact, lists a half-dozen events every day of the month., from church services to cookie socials to Pokeno.
“There’s no reason to be bored,” Ream said. “And it’s good to be involved.”

Meadow View Manor is at 396 Dorsey Drive. For more information, call 272-2273.
To contact Staff Writer Liz Kellar, e-mail lkellar@theunion.com or call 477-4229.

By: Liz Kellar, Staff Writer
The Union - Section C
December 5, 2008

Photos for The Union by Liz Kellar
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