What can First Care Medical Services Nursing Home offer you?
Long Term care services are needed when you notice that you or someone you care for is becoming unable to properly care for themselves. First Care Medical Services Nursing Home believes in providing the highest standard of care.
First Care Medical Services is a 50-bed facility that accepts most financing from Medicare, Medicaid, and Long term Care insurance. Local hotels and dining places are within walking distance of the nursing home.
The Long Term Care facility is connected to First Care Medical Services hospital and clinic and also Innovis Clinic. Residents have easy access to downtown Fosston and other medical facilities.
Long Term Care Services
Services include 24-hour skilled nursing care which includes RNs, LPNS and Certified Nursing Assistants who provide care for residents in a homelike environment and in a manner that promotes independence and maintains or enhances quality of life. We also provide assessment of resident medical condition 24 hours a day, IV and oral medication administration, health education, and coordination of all care. Therapy services such as Physical and Occupational therapy are provided as needed. Restorative programs are available tailored to meet your individual exercise needs.
Short Term Rehab Services
Is someone you know in need of short term rehabilitation services after an acute illness? Do you know someone who may need rehab services to transition back into the community? First Care Medical Services therapy department offers short-term rehabilitative services to help restore or maintain physical function. Physical therapists assist with pain modification and muscle strengthening to enhance and promote independence. Education is completed on correct use of adaptive equipment. Occupational therapists assist an individual to learn or relearn activities of daily living such as eating, dressing, grooming. Contact the Therapy Department at First Care Medical Services at (218) 435-1133.
Respite Care
Are you in need of short term Respite care for one week up to one month while a main caregiver is absent? FCMS can offer a full range of comprehensive services to meet your needs. Call Carrie Welin for more information at (218) 435-7661.
Adult Day Services
Adult Day Services are available when the main caregiver is unable to be present for daily care. Daily services are Monday through Friday these services are available to meet the residents needs from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Call Carrie Welin for more information at (218) 435-7661.
Social Work Services
Social Work services offer tours of the facility and is willing to meet with community members to answer questions concerning the many services that are available at FCMS. The Social Worker will assist with coordination of care related to admission to the facility or discharge back into the community. Social work services are available for each resident at the facility to provide ongoing psychosocial support. The Social Worker is a good resource for financial information and assisting with obtaining programs that are available. Contact Carrie Welin for more information at (218) 435-7661.
Dietary Services
Personal food likes and dislikes are considered in planning of the meals. Nutritious well-balanced meals and a variety of meal alternatives are provided to meet individual preferences. Contact the Director of Nutritional Services at (218) 435-7656.
Beginning in the fall of 2003 First Care Medical Services Long Term Care facility made the switch from its conventional meal schedule to a modified meal plan, serving 5 meals a day. The five-meal plan allows flexibility in the way our residents start their day. We no longer have the morning rush hour, where all residents have to be awakened and to the dining room by 7:30 AM for breakfast. With the five-meal plan residents can sleep in. They might miss the 7:30 AM Continental breakfast, but they can catch brunch at 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM.
Meal schedule:
- Continental Breakfast: 7:30 AM - 9:00 AM (donuts, rolls, muffins, toast, fruit, coffee and juice)
- Brunch: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (breakfast meats, pancakes, waffles, cereal and eggs along with a traditional dinner entrée choice)
- Siesta Snack: 1:30 PM
- Supper: 4:15 PM - 5:15 PM
- Evening Snack: 6:30 PM (sandwiches, cheese & crackers, ice cream, cookies, popcorn, ice cream, yogurt)
Activities
A wide variety of activities and social outings are available to meet the recreational, spiritual and social needs of our residents. Residents assist in planning their monthly activity calendar. Bus outings into the community are offered twice weekly to maintain and promote community ties. The facility promotes pets and has dogs, fish and birds available for resident enjoyment and pet therapy. Contact Gail Straub, Therapeutic Recreation Manager at (218) 435-7664.
Is it time for Long Term Care?
Moving a loved one to a nursing home is one of the most difficult decisions a family member may ever have to make. The guide listed below is designed to help families approach this important decision in a confident manner. Throughout the years consumers who are most satisfied with Long Term Care are those who approach the selection of a nursing home strategically and compare all available options.
Where to start
- Talk with your physician about current medical needs of your loved one and how those needs may have changed over time. A variety of services are available at First Care Medical Services to meet those needs. Long term Care Services, Short-term Rehab, Adult Day Services and Respite Care. Determine which setting best matches your loved ones medical needs.
- Identify your options if nursing home care is the preferred choice of your loved one by comparing information provided by Medicare. Medicare Compare is available to compare nursing homes using quality measures. This information is available by calling 1-800-medicare, by visiting Medicare Nursing Home Compare, or by calling the Ombudsman office at 1-800-657-3591. Explanations of the quality measures are contained on the Medicare websites. You may also visit our nursing home. Personal visits to First Care Medical Services are always welcome. To arrange a tour contact Carrie Welin LSW at (218) 435-7661. When touring the nursing home look for two areas that are important in choosing a nursing home: your senses and the staff.
- Use your senses - sight, hearing, smell, touch - when evaluating a nursing home. Ask yourself as you are touring how does the staff interact with the residents? Are residents well groomed, clean alert and happy? What activities are organized to keep residents engaged?
- Staffing has been found to be the single most important factor in receiving excellent care. Pay attention to the number of staff from certified nursing assistants to LPNS and RNS. Observe how long it takes for caregivers to respond to a residents needs. Inquire about staff turnover rates. Facilities with low turnover rates are more likely to be able to offer continuity of care. Is the facility clean and free of unpleasant odors?
- Compare costs of care- Nursing home rates vary from facility to facility and are based on two things: operating costs approved by the state and the level of care required by the resident, which is called case mix. Two government programs, Medicare and Medicaid, are available to some nursing home residents. Specifics on these programs can be obtained from the facility Social Worker or the Ombudsman’s office or the county Medical assistance office.
Contact Information
Patricia Wangler, CEO
Nursing Home Administrator
Phone: (218) 435-7630
Ruby Sistad, RN,C
Director of Nurses
Phone: (218) 435-7650
Carrie Welin, LSW
Social Work Services
Phone: (218) 435-7661
Gail Straub, ADPC
Therapeutic Recreation Manager
Phone: (218) 435-7664
Candy Keller, RD
Director of Nutritional Services
Phone: (218) 435-7009
Mike Manecke
Environmental Services
Phone: (218) 435-7651
Contact Mike if you have questions concerning laundry and housekeeping services.
Ombudsman office
Phone: 1-800-657-3591
1-800-medicare
Medical Assistance
Get information and an application from your county office and in Polk County at (877) 381-3127. For all other counties call 800-657-3739.
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A note of gratitude
I just wanted to take a moment and again to thank you for all you did for my Dad. He did not want to spend his last days in a nursing home. But the reality of it was he had to because of his health and my Mom was to her limit on what she could do. And if it had to be, my sisters and I thought he was in the very best care facility ever. We were so impressed with how much the staff cared and the dignity with which they treated all the people in their care. We really appreciated how accommodating everyone was when we were visiting and asked that they do something special especially in light of the fact of how busy everyone was. We also want to express our gratitude for how kind and thoughtful everyone was the last day of Daddy's passing. We all knew it was coming but it was still very traumatic.
Please post this email and let everyone know how great we thought you and they were to my Dad and the rest of us. Thank you!
Janice Adkins
Oracle DBA
DHS State of Minnesota