The Alverno News
Alverno Health Care Facility employees receive state honors
Three Alverno Health Care Facility employees have been recognized by their peers as leaders in their fields. Kathy McDermott, Dietary Manager, and Patricia Diercks, Dietary Supervisor, were awarded the Excellence in Long Term Care Award for Dietary Services. Rebecca Schmidt, Activities Director, received the Excellence in Long Term Care Award in Activity Services. The awards were presented by the Iowa Health Care Association (IHCA) and Iowa Center for Assisted Living (ICAL) on Wednesday, October 1 at the association's state convention in Des Moines.
McDermott and Diercks have a combined 54 years of service at The Alverno. Both began their careers as after-school dietary aides and are now certified long term care food service supervisors. In addition to overseeing all of the freshly prepared meals at The Alverno, the team oversees the preparation of the food for the Clinton Area Mobile Meals program, prepares food for facility events such as their annual hog roast and bakes hundreds of cookies for the local United Way kick off.
And it’s not just about food prep, said Libby Goodman, The Alverno Administrator. "When researching ways to increase consumption for dementia residents, they studied the affects of using red plates. The positive results led to red plates becoming a permanent part of the dining experience." A facility Resident Food Advisory Committee has also been established to allow for more participation from residents in the choice of meals served at The Alverno.
Schmidt has been at The Alverno for over 13 years. During the past few years as Director of Activities, she has built an activity program that focuses on improving the residents’ quality of life. "Her impact on residents’ physical and mental health is enormous," said Goodman. "She constantly strives to gain knowledge of innovative programming by attending conferences and classes, and adapts new ideas to work for residents at The Alverno."
Schmidt's music background serves as a great framework for many of the activities. But the best testimonial, according to Goodman, is hearing a resident say,“I never knew living in a nursing facility could be so much fun.”
The Excellence in Long Term Care Awards are presented by the Iowa Health Care Association and Iowa Center for Assisted Living. IHCA ICAL, located in West Des Moines, is a nonprofit trade association that represents approximately 560 nursing homes, assisted living programs and residential care facilities in Iowa. For more information on long term care in Iowa, visit www.iowahealthcare.org.
For more information about the services provided at The Alverno Health Care Facility, contact Deb Bergmann at 563.242.1521.
Last modified on 10/30/2008.