Managers view Penacook operation from employees’ point of view

   HAVERHILL – Managers at Penacook Place Nursing and Rehabilitation Center have experienced the day-to-day operation of their facility through the eyes of their employees during “Turnaround Day.” On two separate days, one during the summer and the most recent, on September 12, managers were paired with non-supervisory staff. The management team spent the day observing and helping employees do their jobs.
   Through its LEEP (Life Enhancement and Empowerment Principles) Committee, Penacook Place strives to create a more home-like environment for residents and staff members. “The purpose of Turnaround Day was to enhance morale and teamwork between management and employees by giving managers a feel for what the jobs of staff members are really like,” said Penacook’s Chief Operating Officer Charles Carrozza.
   Carrozza spent the first Turnaround Day with certified nursing assistant Debra Cousins and the second with Donna Pettipost, nursing scheduler and certified nursing assistant, and Beth Torla, Rehabilitation Assistant. “For the first turnaround day, I came in at 7 a.m., which is not my usual starting time,” said Carrozza. “It was a busy day. There’s a lot of bending and a lot of hard work. I learned that to be successful as a CNA, you need to understand the specific needs of each resident you work with and be a team player. The CNAs work together very well, which makes their day go easier.”
   Penacook Place is in the process of replacing its 160 manual beds with electric ones – an initiative that was underway well before Turnaround Day. However, Carrozza said he never had a full appreciation for how difficult the manual beds are for residents and staff members to maneuver until he had to crank a few himself. “The new beds should make tasks like changing sheets a lot easier,” said Carrozza.
   Penacook’s President and CEO Julian Rich worked alongside Griselda Padilla, one of the senior certified nursing assistants, and Cleo Vargas, a certified nursing assistant on the evening shift. “The experience confirmed what I’ve been saying all along about what special people it takes to work in a nursing home,” Rich said. He added that one of the biggest lessons he learned from the time he spent was that management needs to do a better job of monitoring equipment and supplies to ensure that everything is in tip-top shape and that all of the tools that employees need to do their jobs are readily available to them all of the time.
   Located at 150 Water St., the 160-bed Penacook Place is the only not-for-profit nursing and rehabilitation facility serving the city of Haverhill. Penacook Place has a professional staff of 230 employees. Contributions that support the purchase of new equipment, renovations and resident activities can be made to the Friends of Penacook Fund, c/o Penacook Place, 150 Water St., Haverhill, MA, 01830.