Bloggers:

     As we start the month of September, as a whole of the Bee Hive Homes that we own there are 356 beds, we have 282 great people that we call residents.  That percentage as far as our census is concerned is 79%, which means we are losing money.
     I often find the phrase that Mark Tobiassen at Action Coach taught me, "My name is Jay Manning I have problems, and it's OK."  It's OK because we have a great service, and more importantly a great marketing effort being made by our team of marketers.  They along with every caregiver a part of our team, exemplify the virtues of calling BeeHive Homes, Home.
     We as of late are on the whole trying to perform as our homes in Farmington, that are for the most part operate at 95-100% occupied.  One of Bernadette's secret weapons for marketing has been her meals on wheels every Wednesday.  We have started our effort at some our homes in Albuquerque.  In these efforts of providing meals, we show that we are not always just about the money.
     We are in the people business, one of the most desired attributes we possess is compassion.  We understand as the years of being Elderly come upon us our realities change. We want to be as the BeeHive family able to offer compassion as people transition in their lives to living with the new reality of aging.
     We would invite all of those who labor in any way in the Bee Hive operations to look upon our residents with compassion, offering them a helping hand, a cheerful smile and love in your eyes that gives them joy and happiness.
     I am particularly appreciative for all those who labor to care for our residents.  They are good people; I count it pleasure to work along side of you to provide for every one of the 282 great residents who call Home, Bee Hive.
    A special shout out to Hilde Sikels, who recently passed into the arms of her beloved husband, in paradise.  I will greatly miss her German accent, and the love she shared with us all.

Jay

BeeHive Bloggers

The world of BeeHive Homes is in its 30th year. In that history the real purpose has never changed, to provide quality of life for our Elderly.

The Holy writings state, "dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." The BeeHive Homes is often the portal for our residents to pass from this life. I wish I could say that all of our residents have done so in a fashion that we all hope for, yet the reality is we are dealing with a whole host of variables that make this a risky business. We are responsible for our residents, the knowledge that our team of good people that are likely to make mistakes puts not just the company at risk but our residents and staff at risk too. From lifting a resident incorrectly to a resident falling. Avoiding mistakes is like dodging ten or more dodgeballs at once; as often as possible we hold staff meetings for our employees, with valuable training exercises reiterating the training that we had conducted in our probationary ninety-day period. We at BeeHive have a great track record considering the number of people that we have the privilege to care for; we take full responsibility for our residents and the service or lack of service that happens in our homes. We believe in the personal growth our caregivers are undergoing in their position as BeeHive Homes, where ever you find a home, is not just to provide a safe shelter for our residents with three excellent meals a day, and activities, but to serve our residents. Now, in that service, we learn to love our residents while in turn, they learn to love us; which is the reward for the risk we take at a time that they are physically vulnerable and stand at the portal of moving from mortality to immortality.

the need is ever becoming bigger as the Baby Boomers age. We have Implemented safety awareness in our homes to create less risk and greater care for our residents. We are making the effort to have a perfect world where all of our residents pass in peace with a smile on their lips knowing that we did all in our power for them to know that we truly appreciated their lives and loved them to the end.

Thanks to all those who allow us the privilege to care for the precious people who we reverence as our residents.

Nothing but love for you,
Jay

Goals

          The joys of my world consist of family, happiness, fun and above all the moral of hard work. Hard challenges are often the great equalizer wherein many may fail to try to overcome their personal challenges. The fact that something is hard requires the reality of goal setting, a plan to execute, desire, obtain a consistent ambition, and it helps to have help from God. 

          As we care for the residents of our homes every month, we have a number of goals for and in our homes.Our marketers are pressing hard to make our services available to the public in order to maintain a level of residents that keep us ahead of the monthly obligations of the business. Our managers have goals related to care, cleanliness of the home and activities.We all know that eighty percent of our residents come from the referrals of our current residents. We are well aware and always have the presence of mind to care for our current residents so that we may provide them with that quality of life that causes them, their families, friends, and people within the community to speak of Beehive homes in a positive light.

          We spend our energies to exceed the expectations of our residents and their extended families. We love our residents; their needs are our concern. Did you know that our residents in our memory loss homes are not confused until we tell them they are? Memory loss is a challenge that requires individual caregivers to have patience, persistence, and compassion, to think outside the box, to see them in the days of their prime and love them as children of our Heavenly Father.

          In this mortality, one goal for us all is to become the best that is in us to become. The potential in each of us is to be fantastic and awesome. We should often look in the mirror and ask ourselves, "How can I improve?" which in turn leads to goal setting. One of the realities of caring for the elderly is we see in them the history of their lives and draw from them the best of the last 100 years, that we might be the best that is in us to be.

          Our goal is always to be fantastic and awesome in the realm of Assisted Living. We need to create raving fans and continue to make us the #1 preferred Assisted Living homes in New Mexico. A goal unwritten is only a wish. Break out your pad of paper today begin to improve your circumstances by overcoming challenges. Take the opportunity to write your goals for the next five years which will make a difference in you life and lives around you! You are the future; you are the backbone of Beehive Home assisted living, and you can continue to grow in your life and encourage those around you to do the same. If we are not living up to your expectations, please let us know how we can improve.

Nothing but love for you all.

Jay

A wife's Journey to Beehive Homes

          We were enthusiastically planning for Victor’s retirement a few short months away and were moving from California to Arizona so he could play golf to his heart’s content while I would continue my work in assisted living as well as spend more time with my parents who were snowbirds from
Wisconsin. The call that changed our lives forever came January 4th, 2004. Victor was on the golf course and experienced debilitating symptoms. By the time he called me and 911, he could no longer
walk. We were to learn it was an ischemic stroke and that he would in all probability never golf again.I didn’t believe a word of it. He continued rehab immediately and we expected he’d be walking again and possibly be able to golf. As the months and years passed, as we moved four times, tried everything traditional and experimental including hyperbaric oxygen treatments, one of the many out of pocket expenses we incurred always hoping for the best. At each new study on stroke research, our hope rallied and we clung to every shred. Eleven years passed and I remained his sole caregiver our routine now firmly in place. We put our trust in one another. I became his care manager, scheduling his doctor appointments, keeping track of his extensive medications, taking him to more rehab appointments, physical therapy, occupational therapy, acupuncture, chiropractors, psychiatrists, in and out of ER, hospitalisations, pneumonia, heart stent and pacemaker. These 11 years brought us closer and we became a formidable team. In the 12th year after his initial stroke, Victor had a severe change in his health precipitated by a fall. I was told he would probably die within a few months. Again, I didn’t believe a word of it. I was given palliative care information and instructed to discharge him to a nursing home for more therapy to see if he could regain any of his strength. In the midst of my grief, I toured several recommended skilled nursing facilities and selected one with strict instructions that he was a fall risk and seriously ill. The first night there, he fell out of bed, the nursing home failed to put in place the safety measures required for a fall risk. It happened one more time. Within two weeks of substandard care bordering on negligence, I pulled him out. Grief engulfed me, my decisions and my ability to process clearly. My brother and wife flew in from Wisconsin to help me select an assisted living facility that was staffed to care for Victor. We toured several places and agreed on the small home whose owner promised gourmet meals, outings to the local park and a family environment.

Within days, it was clear to me we’d been lied to. The owner suggested hospice for Victor. Through a veil of tears, I signed Victor up for hospice believing he would be dead soon. I complained to the owner, to the hospice social worker, and nurse, and to some of the caregivers there that Victor was not receiving the kind of care promised. It fell on deaf ears.When a home health care nurse visited one day she took one look at Victor and asked to see his medications. "Get him out of here, now!" She then explained that they were sedating him to keep him more manageable. Once again I enlisted a friend to help me tour assisted living options. Having been told Victor had dementia, I shifted my focus onto secured facilities and found two. I deposited on one of them but they had no availability in the room I wanted for Victor, so I chose another. Both told me they were trained specifically in Alzheimer's and their caregivers also had specialised training. I was told I couldn’t get the deposit back why? I asked. They didn’t have a room for Victor and they had done nothing administratively to warrant keeping the check. The marketing person said she’d talk to her boss. They refunded half of it. I was too exhausted to fight it. Imagine that you are told your husband will likely die within a few months. You are bombarded with decisions that directly and immediately affect his well-being. Then imagine the medical community lets you down bordering negligence with a patient who is already fragile. Now picture trusting the owner of an assisted living who tells you his business is top notch, that his family is well known in New Mexico and that his whole family is involved in providing quality care for residents. Then, you discover you’ve just been sold a bucket of lies. So I chose another assisted living this one secured. Yes, I believed what they told me they are family owned, their caregivers are specially trained in Alzheimer's, I am family, Victor will be treated like family. Another deposit. I move Victor in. After a series of TIA’s, Victor started to improve. I am there daily. I start seeing things that bother me. I stock cleaning supplies in his room so I can clean the bathroom. When I ask the caregivers to clean, they tell me it’s not their job. (house cleaning comes twice a week, I am reminded). Regardless of the condition of the toilet or floor, the caregivers do not lift a finger. My new friend is Swiffer! I start complaining. I take pictures of dead bugs that are never vacuumed. By the time I took Victor out of this place, he was screaming at night to get someone to help him or just to let him know he was not alone. They told me he was too difficult for them to work with and that they reported him to the department of health. I was told I was to mind my own business and not to talk to staff unless it directly applied to Victor’s care. Their management style, for good or bad, was not my concern. I called in an ombudsman and had one last meeting with the care plan team. Again, I enlisted a dear friend to be there for me.

At each meeting, I came prepared with a list of concerns and cried through each and every one of them. I felt abandoned, emotionally abused and doubted my ability fo find the kind of compassionate care for Victor that I had provided. My friends told me I was asking too much. Onward and upward, right? I continued asking nurses, social workers, doctors and anyone I met whose opinions I valued about assisted living. Could they help guide me to a better place? BeeHive Homes kept coming up in our conversations. I decided to pop in on a weekend to see what the staff was doing when management wasn’t there. I met Amber-friendly, relaxed, calming Amber. She impressed me. There was no sales pitch here. Just a compassionate caregiver who obviously loved her job. I went back one more time on a surprise visit and had the same warm homey feeling that I did the first time. I scheduled an official tour with Amanda, and saw the room for Victor! At the end of the hallway, private bathroom (he shared the bathroom at the last place), spectacular views of the mountains and open space, and it just felt right. Amanda said they would treat us just like family. Been there, done that, I thought. But as I looked around this home for that is what BeeHive Homes are-I saw family members visiting, laughter, and some staying for dinner. I asked how much they would charge if I ate there, Amanda gave a giggle and said, "You’re family, we don’t charge family!" Then as curiosity would have it, I asked, how many times can I eat here before you start charging me? With a quick response, I was told, "As many times as you want," Amanda smiled, as we continued the tour, I felt something melting in my heart. Maybe, just maybe, these folks were for real!

I told my brother I was moving Victor to BeeHive Homes and he said to wait till his honeymoon was over. A month passed. The cook brought Victor’s meals to his room where he preferred to eat. The caregivers laughed and talked with us. They expressed an interest in us both. Victor’s room and the bathroom are clean daily. The manager pitched in with the caregivers as needed and was a personal presence. If Victor wanted a snack, it was delivered with a smile. I stock his favourite snacks and drinks in the pantry and all he has to do is ask. I felt compassion. I was brought into the loving embrace of everyone at BeeHive Homes and began to relax in their love. After about two months, I called the owner and shared my negative experiences at other assisted living and skilled nursing facilities. Then I praised his manager, cook, and caregiving team for making Victor feel special. "You’re spoiling him," I said, "and that’s just what I want you to do." It’s what I’ve done for 11 years. Whatever you do, I said, don’t change your business model. It is one of compassionate care it is demonstrated in everything you do. Today Victor is doing better than expected. His only complaint was that he wanted more channels and a DVR on his TV. Presto! The owner made it happen.
I truly believe BeeHive Homes with the assistance of hospice, saved my husband’s life.

I’m a BeeHIve Homes BEE-liever!

Charlene Walker

Bee Hive Bloggers:

Compassion defined as "A feeling of wanting to help someone who is sick, hungry, in trouble."

There is a call to each of us to develop compassion as part of our character.  In our Bee Hive Homes, this is one of our traits that make up our Culture.  In this effort there is a quote by Thomas S Monson that reads, "Vision without effort is daydreaming; effort without vision is drudgery; but vision, coupled with effort, will obtain the prize."

How then do we make this a part of the daily effort that happens in our homes?  We never pass one of our residents without acknowledging them, reaching out our hand to touch them in kindness, maybe a hug or a kiss on the cheek.  There is never a smile wasted, a kind word not noticed or appreciated.  We desire to go beyond the expected, to go the extra mile that our residents feel safe and most importantly loved in our homes.

There are always moments in our homes that the day gets busy.  Medication to be given, a shower needed a call button screaming and the thump of someone who just fell to the floor.  In these moments remember that it is the individual compassion that is our priority.  Take the emergency first; there will be time for all for we have the caregiver ratio at one caregiver for every five residents.  It is a beautiful thing to watch our wonderful, compassionate caregivers perform like real professionals.

Our homes are full of compassion, we always strive to improve, yet the reward is in the eyes we serve that cries out thank you and I love you.

In thinking of compassion, I think of four words that could change the world: Judge-Less: Help-More.  I have hope in my life to be able to render compassion and to be one to receive that compassion in this sojourn of mortality.

May your honey be sweet and the buzz constant.

Jay

Bee Hive Bloggers:

     This time of year makes us think of new beginnings. We think happy thoughts and invite good things into our lives. The neighborhoods foliage, effloresce like wildfire, brings to light the seasons of our lives. From the beautiful white winter into the beginning of spring going into the summer time. 

     It is the concern for us at BeeHive Homes to provide quality of life in all the seasons of the lives of our residents. We find that all too often people delay the opportunity to make the BeeHive their home. It is our experience, that the fear of leaving the family home and it's security is challenging. Little do they know, that in the season of their lives when daily living activities become a challenge, that loneliness is the emotional daily stress, that the best next thing to home is BeeHive Homes.

     The concept of Assisted Living in a residential setting was born 27 years ago, in Boise Idaho.  The Walker family having a need for grandma, whom they loved wanted a quality of life for this great matriarch.  It had to be an environment that was home in every way. There must be the feel of respect, a standard of quality in the structure, someone who was in charge of Mom. Just as the seasons brings growth and life we at BeeHive Homes have maintained this need for all our families. In our staff, we have those whom are kind, caring and leave no question they would love their your grandmother in every aspect of her remaining years of mortality. A host of new friends to whom she knows as caregivers, she wears the genie button and every time she pushes it, one of our delightful caregivers appear.

These are the known must be's for Mom. We, who are those caregivers when BeeHive becomes home will be just that. New friendships, awakened self-dependence, increased appreciation for family, we have even had new romances.

     We would in this spring season invite all those wonderful people who might be needing a little extra help with life's routine consider coming home to BeeHive Homes where we will love you as though we were your very own.

Jay

Bee Hive Bloggers:



     It's March, it's New Mexico, it is one of the best times of the year.  The trees come alive; they turn our eyes upward to see the budding green color.  The temperature outside is pleasant; the morning invites all to spend a moment in the sunlight to capture some vitamin D.  Our thoughts our renewed with the positive of the simple things this life affords us as mortals.

     I always enjoy visiting the Bee Hive Homes here in Albq.  These are great people who are our residents.  They love life, and they are still participating in the process of personal growth in their lives.  I was recently visiting at the Village and in D house, we had a serious game of Bingo in the process. As I was standing at the table viewing this activity, Rita, who is from B house, spoke to me and said. "Jay, there are 15 flies in the kitchen, which one is the Cowboy?" puzzled for sure, I replied I do not know, and with a blushing smile she replied, "the one on the Range!"  What a wonderful moment that brought to my day, laughter, a simple act of kindness that helped lift my challenges.

     This is the season of spring, a renewing of the earth as the foliage comes alive and causes us to feel our opportunity of a fresh start, the chance to feel renewed.  Our hearts speak to our very souls to say, "It's a new day a chance to prove our selves better in our progress as a child of God, stand tall, you can be a success."

     I have gratitude for our residents whose lives are the results of having faced great challenges personally and as a generation of people who rose up and meet the challenges of their time.

     The spring time suggests to us of our opportunity to meet our challenge.  Our residents stand as a testament that as they did so we to can rise and with the help of God overcome whatever will beset us from becoming the best that is in us to become.

     My attitude is one of gratitude for the opportunity to care for our residents.  Our hope at Bee Hive homes is to have a home in which they can continue a quality of life that is dignified to allow them the opportunity to continue to grow in their lives till they pass from this mortal existence.



May the force be with you.

Jay