Hillcrest Health Services Earns Gold Quality Award for Montessori Dementia Care Method

Hillcrest Health Services (www.hillcresthealth.com) was named a Gold Award winner in Quality, Senior Living on October 5 as part of McKnight’s Senior Living’s 2018 Excellence in Technology Awards. Through implementing the Montessori method in dementia care, with the help of technology, Hillcrest has significantly improved quality of life for residents at Hillcrest Country Estates Grand Lodge.

The Technology Awards contest is highly competitive and recognizes organizations across the U.S. who are using technology to better serve their residents or business interests. For senior living, the competition offers 10 categories, and a panel of experts selects one Gold, one Silver and one Bronze winner for each category.

Dr. Anna Fisher, Hillcrest’s director of quality and education and a nationally-renowned dementia expert, created a methodical plan to reduce antipsychotic use, increase resident engagement and enhance quality of life. After researching non-pharmacological approaches in dementia care, Hillcrest decided to implement the Montessori method.

To assist in implementing the Montessori method, Hillcrest partnered with The Roberts Academy, the only secondary Montessori school in the State of Nebraska. Collaborative efforts led to the formation of an intergenerational school in which junior high and high school students visit Hillcrest Country Estates Grand Lodge every Friday and interact/engage with residents.

Dr. Fisher and Sharyl Ronan, CEO, accepted the Gold Award on October 8 at the 2018 AHCA/NCAL Annual Conference in San Diego. For more information about the award and other award winners, visit mcknightsseniorliving.com.

Hillcrest Health Services offers the region’s largest continuum of health services for aging adults, including independent and assisted living, in-patient and outpatient rehabilitation, long-term care, memory support, adult day services, certified skilled home health and in-home personal care, telehealth services and hospice care. Hillcrest currently serves nearly 1,200 aging adults daily across 10 counties in Nebraska and Iowa. For more information, visit www.hillcresthealth.com.