Chester River Manor is a 98 bed skilled nursing home facility located on Morgnec Road, in Chestertown. The majority of the residents are from Kent County, but there are residents from elsewhere who have family who live in the area.There are three units, one short-term for either rehabilitation, occupational therapy, speech therapy, or for skilled nursing, and there are also two long-term care units. During Hurricane Irene at the end of August, Chester River Manor took in residents from a nursing home in Havre de Grace, Maryland, as that facility was being evacuated due to possible flooding. Recently I spoke with Daphne Young, the Director of Nursing at Chester River Manor.
Liz Richards Janega: What is life like for longterm residents at Chester River Manor?
Daphne Young: We just had a resident who took her first flight. We had one who took his first ride in a tractor trailer. Today they are at Wilmer park at a picnic. Next month we are having a fashion show/prom. This week is spirit week. It’s like a cruise ship. They deserve to have the best quality of life that we can give them, and having a purpose for their day. The staff and the residents, they do it together, so I think that’s what makes it special.
Liz Richards Janega: During Hurricane Irene at the end of August, you took in residents of a care facility in Havre de Grace, Maryland that was in danger of being flooded. Tell me about it.
Daphne Young: Thursday afternoon around 4 p.m. we got word that the Citizens Care & Rehabilitation Center in Havre de Grace, Maryland was going to have to evacuate their residents due to possible flooding. Our admissions director, Tracy Broomall, called the center and spoke with their social worker and told them that we had beds if they needed them.
Liz Richards Janega: Is there a network of communication among nursing homes to get that information?
Daphne Young: Sometimes. We did hear later that on Lifespan that there was an SOS sent out to all facilities.
Liz Richards Janega: What is Lifespan?
Daphne Young: Lifespan is a resource for the healthcare industry to promote best practices and standards.
Liz Richards Janega: So they would be able to get the information out to everyone.
Daphne Young: Yes. We just kept checking on them, because I knew there was a lot of havoc because the whole community had to evacuate, so we just kept in close contact with them, letting them know that we were ready and able to accept their patients. We finally got the call about 9:30 that night that they were leaving. They arrived here in our driveway in a Howard County rescue bus, and a wheelchair van followed them. They arrived at 11:30 Thursday night.
Liz Richards Janega: They must have been exhausted.
Daphne Young: I think we all were. Someone made a comment that the staff was really ‘the dream team” and they were, because everybody took their task and did it without any hesitation. It was like a well-oiled machine, it really was. I was very proud to work beside them that night, as I am always, but this was exceptional. We greeted the residents, and as soon as they came in the door we had our own identification steps so that we would make sure that they had name tags on them, and their personal belongings would stay with them. We were able to get them settled in their rooms within the hour.
Liz Richards Janega: How many were there?
Daphne Young: There were sixteen, and Dr. Helen Noble was gracious enough to accept all sixteen patients, sight unseen. I tried to call her every couple of hours just to let her know where we were that night, and the last call I made to her I said ‘I’m sorry, Dr. Noble, but it looks like they are going to arrive late tonight’ and she was OK with it. I called her back and let her know when they arrived. On Saturday she came in and met with them. Our pharmacy was on stand-by, we got their orders sent to them, and the medications the next day. I told my staff that we always think of our community as just the town limits, but our community is bigger.
Liz Richards Janega: What a nice thing for a small community like ours to do for a bigger one. Of the sixteen, how did it break down by gender?
Daphne Young: There were thirteen females and three males. We had a couple, one I definitely remember, who did not speak English at all. She was from India and had a book with pictures in it, and our staff would just keep pointing to a picture, and they made it work. We have a photograph of her waving goodbye and blowing kisses to us. There were a couple who said ‘you know, we really like it here,’ and I said ‘well, that’s wonderful, you are welcome to come back anytime, but we have to send you back to your home.’ They were all very sweet.
Liz Richards Janega: You were gracious and they were appreciative . . .
Daphne Young: Well, I knew that they were in a stressful situation. Some of them did bring their comfort items: one had her teddy bear, one had a shawl that she liked to keep on her shoulders.
Liz Richards Janega: Yes. I think when you are living in a nursing home you get used to your routine, and then to be uprooted and show up at 11:30 at night in a county you might never have been in . . .
Daphne Young: One did mention that she had not been out of Havre de Grace in her lifetime. This was one of the most interesting, challenging, personally rewarding experiences that I have had in a long time. It was very emotional.
Liz Richards Janega: And you got to use all your skills –
Daphne Young: We did, and it was funny, you know, after everybody’s adrenaline was going that night, or the next morning I should say, you could just see people starting to wind down a little bit, but they still were professional. They were joking, I guess they were getting a little silly at 2:00 in the morning, but you know, everybody just kept working. We all stayed. I don’t believe in delegating it out – I want to let them know that I am here to help them, too, I am able just like they are, to work. so I did. It was a great experience. I was very happy and proud of them, like a mama.
Liz Richards Janega: Is anyone from Havre de Grace still here?
Daphne Young: No, they all left Monday afternoon; around 4:30 the last one pulled out.
Liz Richards Janega: Did their facility have to close at all?
Daphne Young: No, they did not have any flood damage, but they weren’t sure what the Susquehanna River was going to do, but luckily it didn’t flood. Better to be prepared than not. We told them we would be happy to have them at any time, who knows, in the future we may need somebody to help us. So, it was the right thing to do, and we just welcomed them with open arms.
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The interview ended, and as I walked out the front door of Chester River Manor, I could hear one of the longterm residents who was sitting outside in the sun singing a wonderful rendition of “Stop in the Name of Love.”
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