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TAKING THE MEASURE OF QUALITYThe Jewish Home of San Francisco’s commitment to providing quality care and improvedlifestyles to our community’s elderly is paramount. Plainly stated, the Home is dedicated tohelping residents live each day to its fullest, in a secure, dignified environment. It has been theHome’s mission since it was founded 137 years ago, and over the years the Home has receivedinnumerable awards that reflect its achievements.Above: Chargenurse Zenaida Curaand Joan Accarino,assistant director ofnursing, go throughtheir notes coveringquality assuranceand management.Opposite page: Drs.James Davis, chair ofthe Jewish Home’sQuality AssuranceCommittee, andJay Luxenberg,medical director,believe in the valueof tracking qualityof care indicators.It is therefore no surprise that the Jewish Homeis once again making strides to enhance thatcommitment.“We take incredible pride in our 100-plus yearhistory of providing the residents with the bestand most compassionate care possible,” says Dr.James Davis, former chair of the Home’s board oftrustees and long-time chair of the Home’s QualityAssurance Committee. “Now new technologies havebecome available that will allow us to take it onestep further.”New technologies will enable the Home to geta head start on preventing some of the commonconcerns for nursing home residents such as fallsand pressure sores. By recording and comparingdata, staff will be able to identify signs andpotential problems much earlier and implementchanges to prevent them. “We will be able todevelop our care even more and document how wellwe’re doing,” Davis says.“I’m a firm believer in this kind of data,” concursDr. Jay Luxenberg, the Home’s medical director. Inthe past, he notes, “We’ve invested in the care ofour residents, but not always specifically in staff tocollect data about that care.”This has changed with the Home’s hiring of EdwinCabigao last December to the newly restructuredposition of chief nursing executive. “Edwin comesfrom an environment where they collect data andread it to see trends,” says Luxenberg.“He has expertise in tracking quality indicatorsand he has the skill set to improve our quality ofcare,” adds Davis.Since coming on board, Edwin has hit the groundrunning, getting to know the nurses working withhim as well as the residents, making changes inthe reporting structure, and involving more ofthe nursing staff in both leadership positions andday-to-day matters.quality care14 Jewish Senior Living summer 2008