Frances Schervier Home and Hospital d/b/a Schervier Nursing Care Center

Complications and consequences of untreated pain, including falls and depression, are widespread among nursing home residents.

Residents who are cognitively impaired and unable to communicate their discomfort suffer most; however, nursing home staff often lack education and training in this area. To target this issue, Frances Schervier Home and Hospital devised a project to provide pain management education for long-term care staff to improve the quality of care and life for this vulnerable population.

The Schervier Center for Research in Geriatric Care, part of Bon Secours New York Health System, capitalizes on the years of research previously conducted by the Social Service/Research Department at Schervier Nursing Care Center with nursing home populations. This project supports dissemination of findings regarding pain management.

One of the ways the center accomplishes its mission of improving the quality of life for the elderly is by hosting professional conferences that will promote education and collaboration among those serving the elderly and providing customized education and training to health care professionals and paraprofessionals in nursing homes and other health care settings.

In April 2008, the center will host a conference aimed at improving the quality of care provided to cognitively impaired nursing home residents in New York State with regard to pain assessment, detection, and treatment. Nationally recognized experts in the pain management field will be assembled for a full day to provide health care professionals and para-professionals with practical information based on the most recent research. The center will record these presentations, place them on DVDs, and send the DVD “library” to every nursing home in New York State, free of charge, for educational purposes.