Cardiovascular Transitional Care Program assists patients on road to recovery

WILLIAMSVILLE, NY – ElderWood Senior Care is proud to introduce Cardiovascular Transitional Care to Western New York.

The Cardiovascular Transitional Care program (CTC), available at ElderWood Health Care at Heathwood, 815 Hopkins Road, Williamsville, is designed as a transition between hospital and home for individuals recuperating from a cardiac illness. This innovative, multidisciplinary treatment program enables continued complex medical management of a person’s condition while preparing the individual to return home. Dr. George Matthews, a prominent local cardiologist, provided assistance in shaping the transitional care concept.
The specialized nursing staff is overseen by Lori Moresco, Nurse Practitioner, and Unit Manager Michelle Wasserman, RN, both of whom have extensive ICU experience.

One of the most unique components of the program involves the amount of education CTC residents receive.

“We provide very individualized care,” said Ms. Moresco. “We provide extensive information for them to read while they are here and to take home with them. After physical and occupational therapy, we spend every afternoon on education, updating patients and their families about their diagnosis.”

The educational component is vital, added Ms. Wasserman.
“Some patients released from the hospital really are not prepared to transition to everyday life,” she said. “We teach them about nutrition, exercise and their medications as part of their cardiac transitional care.”

Education also encompasses cardiac risk factor modification and dietary counseling. In addition, patients are encouraged to participate in a cardiac support group during and after their stay.

“We can teach the family basic CPR and arrange for MedicAlert bracelets and in-home monitoring systems,” said Ms. Moresco.

Patients in the program undergo daily cardiac and vascular reconditioning and strengthening.

“The program has been a savior for me,” said Leonard Pero, the first patient admitted to ElderWood’s CTC program. “The therapy staff has been working hard at helping me improve my strength; I don’t know how far I would have gone if I had been at home, on my own. I know I need to change my lifestyle and ElderWood has been a big part of teaching me how to make those changes.”

The unit itself, featuring a private nurse station and call system, has been designed for comfort and convenience. All rooms feature flat-screen TVs. A spa-like shower room accommodates daily showers for each resident.

“It’s a nice, private, tranquil place to recuperate,” said Ms. Moresco.

An on-site electrocardiogram – equipment not frequently available in a skilled nursing facility – enables staff to obtain a baseline EKG for each resident, upon admission. In addition, the unit is equipped to easily assess blood anti-coagulent levels, facilitating timely medication delivery and dosage adjustment.

Overall, the Cardiovascular Transitional Care program promotes functional independence and a sense of well-being, helping the cardiac patient on the quickest possible road to recovery.

For more information about the program, call Lori Moresco, NP, at ElderWood Health Care at Heathwood, 688-0111.

ElderWood Health Care at Heathwood is associated with ElderWood Senior Care, providing skilled nursing care, subacute care, rehabilitation, assisted living, memory care and respiratory care to more than 3,500 people each year at 15 locations in Western and Central New York. In 2005, ElderWood introduced a new concept in independent living with the opening of Maplewood Commons Patio Homes in Cheektowaga, NY. Crestwood Commons Senior Living Patio Homes and Apartments will open in Wheatfield, NY, in early 2007. For more information, visit www.elderwood.com.