Chippewa County War Memorial Hospital - Long Term Care Unit sits inside the hospital and has space for 51 residents, usually with about 50 people staying there. The facility takes both Medicare and Medicaid and focuses on offering care for those who need 24-hour monitoring, with a mix of nursing staff, including RNs, LPNs/LVNs, and CNAs. Residents get about 4 hours and 28 minutes of nursing care each day, including nearly 3 hours from CNAs, which is a bit more than average, along with 38 minutes from RNs and 57 minutes from LPNs/LVNs, so some numbers are a bit above or below state guidelines. This unit's care includes personalized medical help, assistance with daily activities like bathing and dressing, medication management, and support for those who can't walk or need regular transfers. Rooms are furnished with private bathrooms, and there's air conditioning, cable TV, Wi-Fi, kitchenettes, and phones.
Nursing staff provide help throughout the day and night, and there's always someone available due to the 24-hour supervision and call system. The location next to the main hospital helps with quick access to medical support and therapies, with services such as occupational, physical, and speech therapy on the premises for residents working on recovery or rehabilitation. This facility does have some areas that need improvement, since state inspections have found issues in infection control, safety, pharmacy services, nutrition, and dietary practices. For residents staying long-term, about 16% spend most of their time in bed or a chair, which is higher than state averages, and there's an 18% rate for pressure sores and 16% for those losing too much weight, also above typical levels, while a reported 35% of residents are more depressed or anxious than before, which is higher than the state average of 13%. The rate of residents losing bowel or bladder control is 43%, a little lower than the state's 52%.
Even with these concerns, the facility does offer preventive care like pneumonia and flu shots for almost every resident. There are mental health counseling services offered for both residents and families, and people can join daily activities, including recreational programs, in the arts room, activity room, game room, or outside in the garden and walking paths. Residents use a wellness center, computer center, small library, fitness room, and sauna, and the unit provides on-site beauty and barber services along with physician and vision services so folks don't have to travel for that type of care. Dining is set up with both restaurant-style meals and options for special diets, and those who need transportation for community outings, non-medical purposes, or parking can ask for arrangements.
Though the unit is part of a non-profit corporation and is known as a high-reliability organization with safety culture, it does work on continuous quality improvement and focuses on patient-centered care. The staff here strive to keep things comfortable and supportive, but the numbers and inspections show there's room for improvement in some areas, so families might want to keep an eye on updates and talk with staff if they have questions about care or safety.
