Sprenger Health Care Bluffton received a 100% deficiency-free rating on their state survey, conducted by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control on Friday, November 1, 2024.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) annually reviews Skilled Nursing Facilities to ensure that the health and safety conditions focusing their analysis on the residing resident’s safety, security, sanitary, and overall maintenance. To receive a 100% deficiency-free review by the DHEC notes that the facility met the highest possible standards of satisfactory living. Sprenger Health Care Bluffton also received a deficiency-free rating for their Residential Care Facility survey in April of 2024.
Dennis Maddox, Ph.D., MCG, a local professor of Anatomy and Physiology and short-term resident of Sprenger Health Care Bluffton stated, “Being here felt like being at home. Everyone was so nice and sweet in such an amazing way. I am sad to leave, but happy to know I will be home for my birthday and for the holidays.” Mr. Maddox stayed with Sprenger Health Care Bluffton for 6 weeks as he worked through an illness with the nursing and therapy teams, maintaining an end-goal of getting back home and to work.
“We are incredibly proud of our team’s dedication to excellence and quality care, which has been affirmed by our recent deficiency-free survey from DHEC. This achievement reflects the hard work, professionalism, and commitment of every team member to uphold the highest standards in patient care and compliance. Thank you to everyone for making this accomplishment possible and for continually going above and beyond to create a safe, welcoming, and well-maintained environment for our patients and families.”
Dwight Green, the Executive Director at Sprenger Health Care Bluffton
About Sprenger Health Care Bluffton
Sprenger Health Care Bluffton is a 105-bed Long Term Care, Skilled Nursing Facility, and Assisted Living, offering services such as memory care, in-house therapy for short-term rehabilitation, daily activities, served dining, and a VA contract. They also offer Respite Care for those in need. Residents have access to state-of-the-art amenities, such as a 3000+ square foot therapy gym, 65 private rooms in the Skilled Nursing wing, 45 private suites in the Assisted Living wing, a bar that offers a daily happy hour, a 24/7 Chapel, and much more.
Sprenger Health Care Bluffton offers a range of services designed to meet the needs of seniors at different stages of life and health, aiming to create a supportive and caring environment that prioritizes residents’ health, safety, and well-being. The facility provides personalized care, including therapy services, social activities, and wellness programs tailored to enhance residents’ quality of life.
About Sprenger Health Care
From a small family-owned nursing facility to an expansive enterprise employing 2,000 professionals, Sprenger Health Care is actively growing and adapting to the ever-changing needs of the communities they serve. With a strong focus on innovation and quality, Sprenger’s third generation is building a legacy while maintaining the same philosophy of personalized care initially established by Grace Sprenger in 1959.
Sprenger Health Care is a leading developer, owner, and operator of senior living communities and services in Ohio and South Carolina. Through their 12-nursing home, 10 assisted living, and 8 independent living communities, they provide exceptional health care services, including; long-term nursing care, assisted and independent living, memory care, hospice, respite care, and short-term post-acute rehabilitation.
Click here to view all Sprenger Health Care locations.
WellSpring Home Care and HospiceAs each month commences with a theme of national recognition, Sprenger Health Care would like to elaborate on November’s topic of National Home Care and Hospice Month by featuring its own, WellSpring.
WellSpring Home Health & Hospice provide patient-focused and family-centered care to ensure patient-centered, personalized treatment(s) are offered at the highest level possible.
Home health care, just as it sounds, is care that is provided in the home to anyone who may need it, like in instances of limited mobility or education of newly prescribed medication regimens, but also specifically for those who suffer from chronic illnesses, following surgery, or are recovering from acute injury or illness and prefer to remain at home with skilled care. WellSpring’s experienced medical team of Registered Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Physicians, Social Workers, and therapy professionals provide in-home care, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays. Home Health is tailored to each individual’s medical needs and is for adults of any age.
WellSpring Home Health Care is a skilled, Medicare certified and accredited home health care agency dedicated to providing quality, compassionate care to patients and is readily accessible, as the team of skilled professionals visit the home, apartment, independent living, or assisted living apartment. Wherever is called home.
Hospice care, while it is care that can be provided in a person’s residence or in-facility, it is care designated for those with a life-limiting condition. Hospice care is about comfort, dignity, and peace of mind for those dealing with a condition that may no longer offer a cure. Hospice is not about giving up hope, but rather offering a quality of life that outweighs quantity of days. It is about carrying out an individual’s wishes as their trajectory of illness progresses, while managing pain and symptoms, and providing comfort. It is about maximizing a patient’s time with loved ones, and providing emotional, spiritual, and social support to patients and their families. Like home health care, hospice care is a benefit of Medicare and most private insurers. WellSpring Hospice is a Medicare certified and accredited agency, which includes one-on-one attention and quality care with frequent interdisciplinary visits and offers on call services that are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays.
WellSpring Hospice works with your Primary Care Physician alongside our Hospice Medical Directors, Nurse Practitioners, Nurses, Hospice Aides, Social Workers, Spiritual Care Coordinators, Volunteers, and Bereavement Coordinators to provide a holistic care approach that is patient and family centered.
WellSpring Home Health and Hospice offer services in the following Ohio counties: Ashland, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Huron, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, Sandusky, Stark, Summit, and Wayne.
Contact
WellSpring Home Health
3905 Oberlin Ave, Lorain, OH, 44053
Main Office / 24hr: 1-888-4WELL4U (493-5548)
WellSpring Hospice Care
3905 Oberlin Ave, Lorain, OH, 44053
Main Office / 24hr: 330-486-6092
HospiceReferrals@wellspringcaring.com
This past week, a handful of our Sprenger Health Care facilities hosted a community wide Trick-or-Treat. While no tricks were found, there were plenty of treats and even some animals!
Rose Lane Nursing and Rehabilitation had a special visit from Outback Ray, who brought a hoard of friends with him – SpongeBob the albino python, Mater the tortoise, Snowball the mosaic chinchilla, Ruby the albino milksnake, Ziggy the blue-tongued skink, and Zombie the hairless guinea pig. Many of which seemed to find the top of people’s heads the most comfortable spot to rest.
Village of the Falls hosted their annual Trunk-or-Treat, which was open to the public. The community of Olmsted Falls showed up to enjoy an apple making station and took time to peruse the spookily-decorated trunks! That was, until a scary T-Rex (also known as Snowball, the dog) showed up Jurassic Park-style!
Amherst Manor also joined in on the Trunk-or-Treat fun, where the community of Amherst showed up with over 150 attendees – that’s a lot of candy! The line for the decorated Trunks wrapped around the front of the main building, making it one of the facility’s biggest events! Superman even made sure to stop by for some treats.
Autumn Aegis’ halls were filled with candy, laughter, and lots of Trick-or-Treaters! The residents had the times of their lives as their families joined them to pass out candy to the little ones.
Sprenger Health Care Bluffton hosted a spooky trick-or-treat for residents, families, and their whole community! They had a wide array of events, including a coloring contest, slime-making, a scavenger hunt, and they played the movie ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ as candy was being collected. They also had some delicious Halloween cupcakes and candied apples!
Candy and costumes are often the center focus of celebrating Halloween, but these Sprenger Health Care facilities made it their goal to ensure each, and every resident had the opportunity to mingle with their beloved community — by passing out or receiving candy, dressing up, painting pumpkins, decorating and perusing trunks, and visiting with staff, friends, and families. That is the true spirit of Halloween!
Our resident at Rose Lane Nursing and Rehabilitation, Robert Patterson a Navy Veteran, received a wish come true through WellSpring Hospice….
Upon a visit with Wellspring Hospice employee, Rebecca Agnew, Patterson said, “I wish I could see 100 motorcycles in this parking lot.” Agnew knew this was a hefty goal, but made it her mission to honor this veteran’s last wishes. And honor it she did!
A quick call to Chris Swogger at the Warrior 2 Warrior Ministry made all the difference! A phone and social media chain with over 3k shares spread within 48 hours grabbing the attention of not only the Warriors membership, but the American Legion Riders-Kent Post 496, the Rolling Thunders, and many other veterans bike groups.
Over 500 individuals-mostly veterans, met at Rose Lane for the ride and to honor Patterson. Prior to the bike parade, the patriotic group led with the Pledge of Allegiance, a prayer and sang a quick Happy Birthday to Patterson who turned 85 a couple days later!
But then they took it a step farther! Why just have Patterson watch the bikes, they decided, let’s have him lead the group instead!
And so he did! With a special police escort thanks to Lieutenant Collins and Officers from the Jackson Police Department, Patterson rode side car on a Harley Davidson 1200 Sportster that led 215 additional bikes with a few jeeps thrown in for good measure! He was surprised to see his route lined with flags by Operation Flags of Freedom and many cheering bystanders.
After the parade was over, Patterson was treated to a reception that included his family and all his new biker veteran “friends”. Many, that had traveled a great distance-including one veteran who had flown in from Texas-a stranger to Patterson, to honor him.
The kindness and goodwill of many individuals put a smile on this veteran’s face that will never be forgotten!
Sprenger Health Care Bluffton Named 2022 Silver Award Winner for “Best Nursing Home”
Sprenger Health Care Bluffton has been named the 2022 Silver Award Winner for “Best Nursing Home” by in The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette.
Members of the community voted for Sprenger Health Care Bluffton online as part of the publications’
2022 Lowcountry’s Best Competition. The annual competition relies on the support of the community to
cast their votes in order to highlight the very best of area businesses across multiple industries.
Sprenger Health Care Bluffton is proud to be selected by the community and looks forward to continuing
helping community members stay active, be social and “live their best life” through its skilled nursing,
long-term care, respite care, assisted living, memory care and rehabilitation services.
For information about the facility, please contact our Sprenger Bluffton Admissions Team at (843) 548-
2500.
Sprenger Healthcare’s Smithville Western campus is excited to announce the addition of NxStage Hemodialysis directly at our facility – without having to be transported to an off-site location.
Residents can benefit from on-site hemodialysis 4-5 days per week vs. the conventional 3 days per week in-center. This means shorter treatments, no need for transportation, and more time for rehabilitation and socialization. Treatments are performed in as little as 2-3 hours, per session, in our exclusive den. More frequent hemodialysis treatment reduces the amount of time there is for fluid and toxins to build-up between treatments, resulting in an overall healthier, happier resident.
Since frequent hemodialysis mimics how healthy kidneys function, residents typically experience the following health benefits after treatment:
- Increased energy and vitality
- Improved appetite
- Fewer cardiac-related hospitalizations
- A decrease in the number of medications taken
- A reduction in the amount of stress placed on the heart
- Improved survival
It is not every day a couple celebrates 65 years of marriage, but at Sprenger Health Care Anchor Lodge a couple got to celebrate theirs. Howie and Marge Walch celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary on June 11th, 2020 at Sprenger Health Care Anchor Lodge. The couple met at Howie’s cousin’s wedding, while they were both dating other people. Howie and Marge dated for two years before getting married on June 11th, 1955, and went on to have three children and nine grandchildren. 500 of their friends and family were in attendance at their wedding in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. The couple had plans to celebrate this milestone with their family at Olive Garden, their favorite restaurant but due to the global pandemic, those plans had to change. The Anchor Lodge staff decided they needed to make the day special for the Walch’s. There was sparkling cider, cake, a toast, and the presentation of a wall canvas the staff made to honor 65 years of love. Tears were shed as the couple sang their wedding song, My Happiness by Connie Francis to one another and their daughter surprised them and joined the celebration of her parents’ love through the facility window. When asked what makes a marriage last Howie responded “A good woman.” The 65th wedding anniversary is represented by the blue sapphire which symbolizes wisdom, virtue, and holiness. It is not every day you get to be a part of a celebration so special and filled with love, but the Anchor Lodge staff was able to make the couple feel as special as possible on this monumental day.
TALLMADGE, OHIO – Sprenger Health Care Heather Knoll Nursing & Rehabilitation has been recognized as a 2018 recipient of the Bronze – Commitment to Quality Award for its commitment to improving the lives of residents through quality care. The distinction is the first of three progressive award levels through the National Quality Award Program, presented by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), the leading association for long term and post-acute care. The program honors association members across the country that have demonstrated their dedication to improving quality of care for seniors and persons with disabilities.
“We are honored to be recognized for our commitment to improving residents’ lives through quality care at Sprenger Health Care Heather Knoll,” said Kevin Kauffman, Vice President of Operations for Sprenger Healthcare. “Working together to reach this milestone has made our team even better. We will never stop improving.”
The National Quality Award Program has three levels: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Providers begin the quality improvement process at the Bronze level, where they develop an organizational profile with essential performance elements such as vision, mission statement, and key strengths and challenges. Bronze applicants must also demonstrate their ability to implement a performance improvement system. Trained Examiners review each Bronze application to determine if the center has met the demands of the criteria. As a recipient of the Bronze – Commitment to Quality Award, Sprenger Health Care Heather Knoll may now move forward in developing approaches and achieving performance levels that meet the Silver – Achievement in Quality Award criteria.
“I applaud Sprenger Health Care Heather Knoll for taking this important step towards quality improvement,” said the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Board of Overseers Chair Alana Wolfe. “I encourage Sprenger Health Care Heather Knoll to continue on its path to achieving superior outcomes.”
The awards will be presented during AHCA/NCAL’s 69th Annual Convention and Exposition in San Diego, California, October 7-10, 2018.
About Sprenger Healthcare
Sprenger Healthcare is a leading developer, owner and operator of senior living communities in Ohio, Indiana, and South Carolina. Through our 12 communities encompassing nearly 2,000 beds, we provide exceptional health care services for the aging, including long-term nursing care, assisted and independent living, memory care, hospice, respite care and short-term post-acute rehabilitation.
From a small family-owned nursing facility to an expansive enterprise employing 2,000 professionals, Sprenger Healthcare is actively growing and adapting to the ever-changing needs of the communities we serve. With a strong focus on innovation and quality, Sprenger’s third generation is building a legacy while maintaining the same philosophy of personalized care initially established by Grace Sprenger in 1959.
ABOUT AHCA/NCAL
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) represent more than 13,600 non-profit and proprietary skilled nursing centers, assisted living communities, sub-acute centers and homes for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. By delivering solutions for quality care, AHCA/NCAL aims to improve the lives of the millions of frail, elderly and individuals with disabilities who receive long term or post-acute care in our member facilities each day. For more information, please visit www.ahca.org or www.ncal.org.
We’re looking for a HOLIDAY STAR!
Give back in the spirit of the season and WIN!
Sprenger Healthcare is holding a company-wide competition between facilities and individuals! We want to see you get into the spirit of the holiday and new year by giving back to your community! The facility and individual with the most memorable holiday deed will be rewarded! Work together and on your own.
Contest will run Dec. 9th thru Jan. 31st
Chosen facility wins a catered lunch/dinner for all staff! Individual winner gets a $100 gift card AND $100 donated to a charity of choice!
Winners will also be featured on the Sprenger website and a press release will go out to local newspapers!
What can you do?
- Fundraise for a cause
- Volunteer your time
- “Adopt” a family or child in need
- Participate in a fundraising event
- Collect canned foods, coats, toys or other items
- AND MORE!
Many people think that all you can do when it comes to Alzheimer’s Disease is pray for the best. However, research suggests you may be able to reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s, slow down the disease or even reverse its effects.
In 2014, an estimated 5.3 million Americans were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. The average onset of the disease occurs around the age of 65 years or older and 75 percent of those diagnosed are women. Due to increased life expectancy and population growth, it is expected the number of people diagnosed will reach upwards of 7.1 million by the year 2025 unless a preventative cure is found.
Alzheimer’s Disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. While those diagnosed with the disease typically live an average of eight years after their symptoms become noticeable, survival can range from 4 to 20 years depending on age and the interaction of other medical conditions.
It is important to emphasize that although there is currently no known cure for Alzheimer’s Disease, there are things we can do to reduce our risk. It is believed that the majority of Alzheimer’s cases occur due things we cannot control, specifically age, family history and heredity.
The good news is that research has indicated making changes in general lifestyle and wellness choices, as well as proactive management of other health conditions can be beneficial in reducing that risk. The Alzheimer’s Association provides the following research-based guidelines to reduce the risk of developing the disease:
- Avoid head trauma: Studies found there may be a strong link between serious head injury and risk of Alzheimer’s. Avoid head trauma by wearing a helmet when participating in sports, wearing your seatbelt and avoiding falls.
- Monitor heart health: Evidence shows your heart health can directly affect brain health. Your heart nourishes your brain with its network of blood vessels. The risk of Alzheimer’s appears to increase in individuals with conditions that damage the heart blood vessels, such as diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure and heart disease. Work with your doctor to monitor your heart health and treat any problems that arise.
- Live a healthy lifestyle: Using strategies for overall healthy again may also reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s. This includes watching your weight, staying social, exercising your mind, staying fit and avoiding excess alcohol and tobacco.
Improved understanding about this disease and methods to prevent controllable risks can facilitate better health. Should you have concerns related to any of the symptoms described above be sure to contact your doctor. You can also visit the Alzheimer’s Association website for information concerning the disease and how loved ones can provide support.
Author: Nancy Dawkins, SLP
