Warsaw/Richmond County Triad
A partnership between local law enforcement, seniors and senior service providers
The Orchard: Not What You Might Expect. Feb. 23 Meeting Report
It’s the future: “Tele-health” lets a psychiatrist in Newport News consult with a resident at The Orchard in Warsaw. Teleconference equipment also eases the transition for patients transferring from the hospital to The Orchard.
It’s the past: Riverside soon hopes to hire a nurse practitioner who will make house calls to people who can’t easily get to a doctor’s office, as part of the Complex Care program being implemented in conjunction with Riverside Tappahannock Hospital.
It’s not-so-institutional: In “The Garden,” the memory support unit, residents can get up when they want to – and have a late breakfast – instead of on a set schedule. That’s part of the focus on “person-centered” care.
These are some of the things described for the Feb. 23 Triad meeting by Pam Doshier, Administrator of The Orchard in Warsaw.
Other Coming Changes
Besides provision for house calls, other changes recently made or being planned include
- An outpatient therapy clinic, where patients released from the rehab unit can continue working with the same therapist (already in operation);
- Additional services: the possibility of a pulmonologist/respiratory therapist working in conjunction with the hospital;
- Creation of a consulting clinic – target date April 1 – to offer a complex care program for people with multiple chronic health issues. Geriatrician and palliative care specialist Dr. Im will head the clinic, on the Riverside hospital campus, and work with The Orchard, Riverside doctors, home health and hospice.
Basic Services
The Orchard offers long-term care and a skilled nursing facility (60 beds combined), a memory support unit with 20 beds (The Garden) and 40 assisted living apartments (Magnolia Manor).
Pam tried to clear up some misconceptions about skilled nursing care. If you’ve spent three days in the hospital, Medicare will cover skilled nursing (say, for wound care or joint replacement rehab). It covers 100% for the first 20 days, then for days 21-100, it requires a copay, or secondary insurance. People tend to think the 100 days’ coverage is automatic, she said, but people still need to qualify, meaning they have to be making progress.
For more information: Contact Karen Wilkins (Karen.wilkins@rivhs.com; 804-443-2446). The Orchard also hosts a monthly Alzheimer’s support group for caregivers. All are welcome, and respite care is available with a reservation. The group meets at Magnolia Manor on the second Tuesday each month at 6 p.m. RSVP to Karen Wilkins (contact info above.)
Warsaw/Richmond County Triad 