Eight members of the Fellowship of Brethren Homes have been awarded Continuing Education Grants for 2013. The $1,000 grants are funded by the denomination’s Health Education and Research Fund, which supports nursing in the Church of the Brethren, and are administered by Congregational Life Ministries.
The grants are to be used for professional development workshops focused on clinical concerns and/or supervisory skills, leadership for in-house training for nursing assistants, or the purchase of reusable resources for in-service training for nursing staff and/or nursing assistants. To qualify, a retirement community must be a dues-paying member in good standing of the Fellowship of Brethren Homes. Invitations to submit proposals are extended to half of the FBH membership each year; each community is invited every other year.
The following retirement facilities applied for and received grants for 2013:
The Cedars (McPherson, Kan.) will enhance their respiratory care program through a grant that provides training for a staff member who will, in turn, train approximately 30 members of the nursing staff to perform respiratory therapy procedures on residents.
Fahrney-Keedy Home and Village (Boonsboro, Md.) received funds for nursing staff to receive advanced training in infection control in long-term care facilities.
Teepa Snow, an expert in dementia care, will facilitate a two-day seminar for nursing staff and other staff involved with the care of people with Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia for the Good Shepherd Home (Fostoria, Ohio).
The grant to Hillcrest Retirement Community (La Verne, Calif.) will provide two workshops presented by Action Pact, a leader in culture change education: The New Face of Leadership in the Household Model and Creating a Climate for Vibrant Living.
The purchase of a multi-media projector and related equipment for large group presentations will enable the Palms of Sebring (Fla.) to improve capability to effectively educate and train nursing staff to enhance the care and lives of residents.
Online inservice training offered by Care2Learn will be provided to nursing home administrators, nurses, and certified nursing assistants at Pinecrest Community (Mount Morris, Ill.) through the grant. Pinecrest’s initial foray into flexible, cost-effective online learning was funded by a 2011 Continuing Education Grant.
Spurgeon Manor (Dallas Center, Iowa) will now be able to re-train staff to use their electronic medical record system to its maximum potential. This includes medication and treatment administration records, charting, assessments, MDS and care plans, reports, and admission information.
Timbercrest Senior Living Community (North Manchester, Ind.) received a grant to purchase continuing education videos by ElderCare Communications, which address a variety of patient care topics. Nursing staff will view the videos independently, the topics of which will be reviewed and discussed during staff meetings to support learning.
As a ministry to those who are aging and their families, the 22 retirement communities related to the Church of the Brethren are committed to providing high quality, loving care for older adults. This group, known as the Fellowship of Brethren Homes, works together on common challenges such as uncompensated care, long-term care needs, and nurturing relationships with congregations and districts. See www.brethren.org/homes .
— Kim Ebersole and Randi Rowan of the Congregational Life Ministries staff contributed to this article.