In addition to the annual educational offerings and the Leadership Institute, the Foundation for Quality Care also sponsors programs that focus on other interest areas including but not limited to: clinical research, quality improvement, workforce development, health information and technology, long term care facilities/infrastructure, and utilizing arts in healthcare.  Provided below are some of the other programs that are currently being sponsored by the Foundation.

 

One of the goals of the Foundation for Quality Care is to develop and implement programs and practices that add value to the daily lives of residents in long-term care settings. The Art From the Heart program is a means of  qualitatively improving care and quality of life by offering nursing home residents the opportunity for creative expression and enhanced living. The therapeutic aspect of artistic pursuit improves the quality of resident care, and the display of resident artwork in the nursing home setting improves the quality of resident life. The cultivation of artistic skills and exhibition of artwork is of particular importance in changing the common perception that the nursing home is solely a clinical environment. This program allows residents to elevate their artistic experience from the level of passive appreciation and art as therapy, to art as an outlet and a visible manifestation of their creativity.

 

The Art from the Heart program was piloted during the summer and fall of 2005. The pilot project sought to engage skilled nursing facilities, the arts community and nursing home residents to participate in the creation and exhibition of visual art. The pilot program included a juried competition of visual art works from nursing home residents. Selected works were chosen for publication in a full-color annual calendar for distribution to a wide range of outlets and stakeholders. Additional selected works were chosen for a public exhibition in the Albany Institute of History and Art.  The level of participation and response to the pilot project greatly exceeded expectations. Over 100 works of art from residents of 59 different nursing homes across New York state were submitted for judging. Many of the works submitted were of exceptional quality and demonstrated significant artistic talent.   The pilot project captured the imagination and creative spirit of the participating nursing homes and their residents while allowing the Foundation for Quality Care to solidify its working relationships with cultural and artistic institutions such as the Albany Institute of History and Art, the New York State Museum and the State University of New York, Albany (SUNY) Art Department.   

 

Based on the success of the pilot, the Foundation was awarded a $10,000 grant (press release)  from  the Johnson & Johnson and the Society for Arts in Healthcare Partnership to Promote Arts and Healing Grant Program which will sustain the program through the coming year. To view some of the selected art works from the pilot program visit the photo gallery.

 

Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Energy Conservation Study Program [Gallery]A significant number of the nursing homes (also called skilled nursing facilities, or SNFs) have aging power plants and climate control systems. These aging systems typically operate less efficiently and can require frequent maintenance. These conditions not only create operational inefficiencies and increase costs, but can also adversely impact the quality of life for people living and working in these facilities.

 

This program allows the Foundation to work collaboratively with nursing homes to collect specific energy-related information and data that will be used to develop recommendations to help address the full range of issues impacting energy use and climate control systems.  The goal of the project is to help nursing homes reduce energy costs, provide cost-effective solutions for upgrading their power plants and climate control systems and ultimately improve the quality of life for residents and employees in their facilities.

 

This project includes conducting six on-site energy audits of nursing homes of various sizes and in different regions throughout the state and an energy survey questionnaire of approximately 250 other nursing homes across New York state. Landsberg Engineering of Clifton Park, NY, working on behalf of the Foundation, will be conducting the audits and working jointly with the Foundation to compile the final report. The report will include specific recommendations to assist nursing homes in reducing energy costs and to determine potential means of upgrading aging systems and infrastructure. The report is excepted to be completed by the end of 2006.

 

The Foundation for Quality Care was awarded a $35,000 (press release)  matching technical assistance grant from the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) to fund this program.