LeadingAge New York Adviser Winter Vol. 1 | Page 18

BARIATRIC CARE
LIVINGSTON COUNTY
CENTER FOR NURSING
AND REHABILITATION
Interview with Franklin Bassett, director of long term care
What is your mission?
Our mission is simple; we are dedicated to
meeting the diverse healthcare needs of the
community in a warm and caring environment
where individuals are treated with compassion
and respect. We support those facing life’s
challenges that come to us for care.
We are not a traditional nursing home operator
per se as we market multiple nursing center
service lines, which include: transitional care,
memory care, respite, hospice, bariatric care,
chronic care, medical model adult day health
care and outpatient rehabilitative services.
Has the mission changed significantly
over the life of the organization?
The mission has changed significantly. The
Livingston County Center for Nursing and
Rehabilitation traces its origins to June 10,
1829, when the Livingston County Alms House
and Farm was established on one hundred and
thirty-six acres of land in the village of Geneseo,
to serve “lunatics, paupers, deaf and dumb,
blind and idiots.” How times have changed!
In 2005 Livingston County closed two
freestanding nursing homes, constructed
in 1934 and 1964 with 314 beds, and
consolidated services in a newly constructed

266-bed facility designed in the Neighborhood
model. The new facility abandoned the
traditional double load corridor construction
design in favor of 12-bed Family Units; four
Family Units comprise a Neighborhood. The
Family Unit format has enabled service to
discreet populations, among them a Bariatric
Care program to serve morbidly obese
individuals weighing up to 650 pounds.
What challenges do you feel are unique
to serving this niche?
There have been, and continue to be,
numerous challenges. After ten years of
service to bariatric individuals we have
had to adjust expectations. While we had
envisioned the program to be restorative
in focus we have realized primarily chronic
care outcomes. Social Work, Dietary and
Nursing are challenged by the dual impacts of
addiction and depression and the persistence
of behaviors preventing rehabilitation despite
programming for physical exercise and
nutritional and psychological counseling.
Staff sensitivity training is ongoing in effort
to balance clinical management plans
with resident rights of self-determination,
principally issues related to meal portion sizes,
fluid intakes and physical activity.
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Adviser a publication of LeadingAge New York | Winter 2015