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How We Provide Care
At each of our facilities, we take a team approach to care. Our core team includes nurses and nursing assistants, rehab therapists, social workers, activities staff, a dietitian, and our medical director.
Our care is patient-centered, taking your strengths, needs, abilities—and your goals—into account. From all that information, we create a personalized care plan. The focus is on meeting your goals, accommodating your preferences, and providing top-notch service.
We offer a wide variety of care and services to meet many needs. Click on the care or service below to learn more about it:
Rehabilitation
Our rehab team consists of physical, occupational, and speech therapists—many with master’s degrees—and specially trained therapy assistants. They’re all licensed professionals dedicated to helping you regain strength, mobility, and independence; achieve the best possible outcome; and return to the activities you most enjoy. We offer physical therapy services up to seven days a week, as ordered by your physician.
Our rehab therapists will design a rehab plan, in accordance with your physician’s orders, to help you reach your goals. And they’ll work as tirelessly as you do to help you achieve those goals.
Our rehabilitation program provides care to meet a wide range of needs:
- Orthopedic rehab for fractures, joint replacement, and degenerative joint diseases
- Stroke rehab
- Neurological rehab for progressive conditions like Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, and ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease)
- Cardiopulmonary rehab for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), congestive heart failure, and recovery after coronary bypass surgery
- Wound care
- Dysphasia management
Skilled Nursing
Many people come to Hillcrest Commons to recuperate after a hospital stay or when a chronic condition flares up. For them, we offer a broad range of programs and services, including:
- Cardiac recovery
- Complex medical care
- Diabetes management
- Hospice and palliative care
- IV therapy
- Pain management
- Stroke recovery
- Wound care
We also arrange for these services, as needed:
- Audiology
- Dental
- Dialysis
- Mental health
- Optometry
- Podiatry
- X-ray and lab
Long-Term Care
Our long-term residents are the heart and soul of our facility. For them, Hillcrest Commons is their home, and our staff become part of their family. We provide our residents with around-the-clock nursing care and supervision, help with activities of daily living (dressing, bathing, eating), and serve them nutritious meals and snacks. They also have access to rehab and the other specialized services we offer, as their condition requires.
We have several important goals for our long-term residents. First, we work to keep them as independent as possible for as long as possible. The more they can do for themselves, the better their quality of life. Second, we encourage them to be as active as possible, participating in as many activities and events as they’re interested in. And third, we help them stay as connected as possible to their community, family, and friends. Even well-behaved pets can visit.
Respite Visits
We also welcome people living at home to stay at Hillcrest Commons for a respite visit—a brief stay in our facility when their family member or other at-home caregiver is temporarily unavailable. This allows the caregiver to go on vacation, travel for business, recuperate from an illness, or just get some extra support for a while.
A respite stay includes all the services and amenities available to our long-term residents: a safe, friendly place to stay; high-quality, 24-hour nursing care and supervision; assistance with activities of daily living; meals and snacks; and participation in any planned activities of interest to them. A respite stay not only gives the at-home caregiver peace of mind, it can be a nice change of pace for the loved one.
Alzheimer’s and Dementia Program
Our 25-bed, secure dementia unit provides a comfortable home and safe, therapeutic environment for our residents with Alzheimer’s and related forms of dementia. Our program follows Alzheimer’s Association guidelines. Staff members on the unit are specially trained and receive ongoing training to keep them up-to-date on the latest care techniques.
We provide separate activities, and cognitive and sensory programming, for the unit’s residents, appropriate to their needs, interests, and abilities. We also have support groups where family members can share information, experience, and advice as they all cope with the challenges they and their loved ones face.
Behavioral Health Program
Our Behavioral Health program is appropriate for adults of all ages with chronic psychiatric conditions like schizophrenia, clinical depression, and bipolar disorder. Residents may need long-term behavioral health services, or they may receive short-term care (for example, while their medications are being stabilized).
The Behavioral Health program is housed in a secure unit that ensures resident safety and comfort. The unit has its own activities program. Care is provided by a full-time clinical specialist and specifically trained staff, all working in conjunction with the Psychiatry department at Berkshire Medical Center.
Ventilator Program
Our Ventilator program is geared toward increasing mobility for ventilator-dependent residents and weaning them from ventilators whenever possible. Our dedicated ventilator wing is staffed by an experienced care team consisting of pulmonologists, respiratory therapists who are on duty around the clock, and rehab and nursing staff.
Based on our experience, we have found that many residents can be stabilized enough to return to independent, ventilator-free living. We accomplish this through a comprehensive care plan that includes: adjusting medications, adjusting oxygen levels, breathing techniques, and exercise.
For residents who do require long-term ventilator care, our goal is to make their life as easy, enjoyable, and comfortable as possible.
Weight Wellness Program
Our Weight Wellness program is most appropriate for people who have previously been unsuccessful losing weight through other weight-loss programs. The program focuses on achieving wellness through positive lifestyle changes.
We offer two Weight Wellness programs. Our short-term program typically runs 90 days. It’s for people preparing for weight-loss surgery who need additional care and therapy. Our longer-term program is for people who prefer a diet-and-exercise approach rather than surgery.
Our Weight Wellness program offers:
• Nutrition classes and consultations with a nutritionist
• Group meetings, counseling, and education
• Round-the-clock skilled nursing care to monitor blood-sugar levels, treat weight-related physical conditions, and care for people recovering from weight-loss surgery
• Physical therapy for improved mobility and strength training
• Occupational therapy to relearn activities of daily living
• Exercise programs
• Discharge planning to arrange for outpatient resources to support progress after reentry into the community
For the comfort of our patients, our Weight Wellness room and resident rooms have furniture and equipment that can accommodate their special needs.
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